R~11f00,u~ fr:om tti~:unclaS,sined I Qecl~sift~d ,Hg!Cfings of the Natipnal Archives· ·.c. . ~- ... ~;: :. ·;· :-..1.> .-~:~- ~.· .
,··~ .., ,, ,. ~ttCK counTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (INCORPORATED)
Jacki:boT'o, Texas November ll,. 1965
Senator Ralph w. Yarborough Uashington, D.c. Dear Sir:
Recently I visited Barry Scobee at Fort Davis. Mr."Fort Davis" I be lieve people call him. I had attended the Annual ma:xas; State Historical Survey meeting in Odessa. Af'ter the two day .meeting ectober 29 & 30 the group was taken on a tour of McKittrick Canyon and on to Fort Davis where we spent two days •. This was a wonderful site to see as you know. Nr. Scobee told me you · l.zere a good friend of his. We stayed till Stmday morning of the 31st and saw Fort Davis and also was at the dedication service before the "Scobee Moutain". I visited in the home ·or the Scobees and we talked until 12 oclock. Mr. Yarborough Mr. Scobee told me to write you and tell you about me and others dreaming that someday we can get old Fort Richardson made into a National Park or Si~e. Our county and City have done all they can toward re- · storing this Fort. ·I am publicity chairman for the Jack County Historical Society and this small group heartily wants to see this Fort completly re stored and made into a beautiful park along Los Creek. It is grown up and ~.. the City which owns Fort Richardson will never have the funds to do this. 0 They and our County have don~ all they can • John Ben Shppperd , president of the Te:xas State Historical Survey committee and also the Foundation at Austin is helping us. We recently got a county marker which will be placed in front of the court house. There are so .many historical places in Jack County that will be marked soon. As _you · 1cnow we have also been working with our governor's Tourist promotion. This Fort Richardson Park Site could bring many tourists to Jack County and other· co~unities around here. I worked £or two years and finally we received our . National Recognition marker in 1964 from·the National Parks Interior department. 'Will you please write me and tell us hov to go abou.t this ·work. I tm.se asked·to give a report to the sub-committee or the Te:xas logislativ~ atm this meeting in Odessa. I do hope they ·will introdu.ce a; bill to get funds· to create more parks in Texas and I want Fort Richardson to be first ou the list. May I hear f'ro~ you as to the best steps to get this work done.
Best reg_~ds, 0 Ji_ 7JJ1,o .. /(ff_ ~r o~ Jack County Historical ~ociety--Publicit1 chr. Mrs. B•. Y.PSacock 11 n "· Survey-Secretary) Box 472 Chamber 0£ Co.mmerce-Toll.rist chr. '·- Jaclcsboro 1 Te.xa.s: I I R~~rcf.du~d .from tlJ~iUncla~ified I Qe¢1a~~iQ~d .Holdings of the Nat.ipnal Archives· ...... ~- f . ,.,. ·I ~·--= :. .~. :: ,, ·.~--··. ·. - ,·~:: .\.
Novemb· .. 15, 1965
Please advise as ·to what surveys may have been made of this site rela tive to its preservation and recog nition.
Respectfully referred to Director George B. Hartzog, Jr. National Park Service, Department of the Interior Bldg., Washington, D.C.
with thanks for such favorable consideration as the oommunioa ti on herewith submitted war- rants, and for a report thereon, to accompany return of inclosure.
By direction of Ralph W. Yarborough u. s. s. RWY:dyl Enclosure: Mrs. B. Y. Peacock Box 472 Jacksboro, Texas Please mark envelope to attention of Miss Hargis. Thank you. Reproduced from the Unclassified I Declassified Holdings of the National Archives .•. ·.c. . • t' . .. -. . *:1.-'
:, t.
' :. •• I .' ·- -:~ ~: ·: ~-~.'...... - ~ .. -·' ...... ~ ... . ·- .. . ' .<' • ': ; ' ~: :-..-. ;.. ~· . ,.;. · .· NOV 301965 t-~ ..... t· . .. <
·.-:" ' :,J. ! ' : ~ . ·:·: ' . ,<~ '. . ;
··•...... _ .
... .;<_ .. !··.x.~.~w.:t•~ · . , : ..· Ud'84.~ ...... ···:· ·.... ::,.... , ,, f~: >.:' .· . ·,«·;~~~,~- ·•···
··,., Reproduced from the Unclassified I Declassified Holdings of the National Archives ... ·.:..
.· .. •·.
;.. :.. ·· .. ·. . . . . - . . ·. ll ·, . ·. . ·.... ·.·. '' .··. ·.· ... · . . . . :•·~~;--·to ~0"4...... '-·~---- ·. .. t4.~--- ·4-ilkA ...... · 1'.a. ~"... ~ ..'11 ...... ~~- .....Mli .. t..-.. ·... ·.~...... -.~ ;. \' ...... ~~--~•~w~~~·.~l~.'¥~t11!4\iiit~~MU:-.."W1~~~
:;:~--·~·-~-"-··:.' .·· .. • .. I" , .
' . ~ ;
.... .{SGD) THEODOR R. SW.EM .
l .; I. i I ,.· '.-"'.
,,.·,
.·;. ._... ·~ .. ~- . ;r ~,-...... -;. :~ l')
. \.
GRAHP.M PURCELL COMMITFEB ON AGRICUl.TURE 13nf DISTRICT OF TExAs • CHAIRMAN, WHEAT SWCOMMITrEE
1210 Mousa OFFICE BulLDINCI MEMBER, NATIONAL COMMISSION ON FOOD DISTRICT OFFIC£s
Mr. George B. Hartzog, Jr. Director National Park Service Department of the Interior Washington, D. C. Dear Mr. Hartzog: I have been asked by a constituent of mine, Mrs. B. Y. Peacock of Jacksboro, Texas, about the possibility of placing Fort Richardson, Texas, in the National Park Service.
I would appreciate your assistance in responding properly . to Mrs. Peacock.
Sincerely yours,
GRAHAM PURCELL GP/sw Reproduced from the Unclassified I Declassified Holdings of the National Archives
·..:. . ~ ......
DEC 15 196@
-..0.... ~11 ~ or lteJ>ftient&ttwe tl•~'l1., ~. e.
~ · 1at1~ ~ or as.w» SL11eil w rntoa•np, ~uoa by b UiltQdq eite• Mt or ~35, ®~uctea a at~ oc 1~ a1Qm.~~ a.na; ctetel"04ri tha-t i't vao o~ fl~t1C$nl ~ u ~Ol:'ll'~:-ati..ng o~ Ul•\it"Gt.1'06 'WIO ~-~ ot tU ~'iled 0tAiif:1£h h l'f~t- ;i~J~ - Nh1.$0l:f ~ 00. ~t£Q~ ~,, 1U.•te;r.kt: Sl.tAlfS1, ~, ~ ~1* ®~14~ the ~~t (co)S eMJ~) Md ~~ ti11e' Jfwt 1i>t 11'$1-tctef.i h~l a.... oi"l~ ~~ •t4t.V$. 'lhc ~t 8U08~~ CifJt'Q'\rqd tb,e t\etton of Ute ~ ~ ~ ~ma ie nov • ftqla:tt!l'ed. 'ft.a~l.. H~to't'-~ ~•r:ti ..
¢!le J'OD <4' "tho liational. .faloX ier"Viee ~ tb1e: ~ ~ 1Ul1t.ttl to tb$ U.•taail~ ot lllt ®"itU.tc, an~• to~ ~ ..~~~ tc ob~ a~~~ aiM1 M
!' . ...- . ·-~
~· •• ~ • .,.,,_. ~:r ti>, th~ t~o• tn ~~ t~ ~ ~ ·~ tbiit -.twr.
M$"" ~ ~ 1lO. be ~ !Qt' hei- tJff(n.·ta in. ;t>®Q~ ~"ort -I~ 4\l£l. va 1dalt Mr ~40 if.t ~\rta:ir4~~ 1V~ ~taon awl JJ?e~~~ to(' :tbe. .1t.w.
(SGD) JACKSON E. PRICE
Assistant l)~t.Ql·
.. Reproduced rrom the Unclass1fied . I Declassified Hold' ·c. . in gs of the National Arch. , • • ~ . ... 1ves·
:: r, :'- . ...
Fort Richardson Frontier Fair Last Weekend in May Each Year
Wic.:nita Falls
\ Hem-ietta Nocona us 2111 -a --0 u Decatur I- Denton 1.. V) ·- To Texarkana o > .... .!!:c
J. Reproduced from the Unclassified I Declassified Holdings of the National Archives ... ·c. f .
:: ~, . -,
Above is one of the original Officers Quarters, restored to An average of 600 loaves of bread per day came fron . usefulness by the City of Jacksboro assisting the Girl Scouts ovens of the post bakery, above. Today the building serves as •Who use · several rooms as a meeting place. Jack County · the caretaker's residence. Conunissioners Court aids in maintaining fort roads.
For t Richa rdson Esta blished in 1867 Hospital Houses Museum Fort Richardson was established at Jacksborcugh in 1867 The hospital building, shown on front, was the largest of as the most northerly in a chain of Texas military posts the fort buildings. It was first restored in 1923 as a Texas occupied by US Cavall'y troops to halt depredations of In National Guard armory. Further work was done in 1936 by dians during the unsettled times following the Civil War. the Texas Centennial Commission, in 1948 by the City of Col. Ranald Mackenzie was regimental commander in Jacksboro, and major repairs made by Jack County Histor 1871 when General William T. Sherman anived on a tour of ical Society in 1955. It is maintained by tlie Historical Society inspection. The General's party had crossed Salt Creek and houses a museum and a library on Western lore. Prairie, west of the fort, a few hours before it became the Visiting hours are 2 to 5 p. m. daily. A caretaker resides scene of the Warren Wagon Massacre. in the restored bakery building and has a museum key. Three Kiowa chieftains were later arrested at Fort Sill, You are invited to visit J acksboro and the Fort-and to Okla., and charged with leading the raid. One of them, follow the example of many frontier cavalrymen, who liked Satank, was shot by a guard while trying to escape; the the country and returned here to live. others were brought to Jacksboro and convicted of the The ammunition magazine, below, is just as it was when crime-the first Indians ever tried in the white man's court. the Fort was occupied by US Cavalry. It is nc.ted for the Their sentence, to be hanged, was commuted to life im unique stone roof, so ingeniously constructed that no sup prisonment, and later both were paroled. Satanta, shown ports were necessary. The Fort morgue, center, stands be on the back page, violated his parole, was returned to the hind the hospital, and was where Kiowa Chieftains Satanta state prison at Huntsville and committed suicide there in and Big Tree were incarcerated prior to trial here on July 1878. Big Tree returned to the Oklahcma reservation and 4-5, 1871. Restoration of the Commissary, right, is a future became a respected leader of his people. project for Jack County Historical Society and its friends.
Ammunition Magazine Hospita l Morgue Commissary Building