Fort Richardson was named for Union General Israel (Fighting Duck) Bush Richardson. The Fort became a military establishment in 1867 and was listed as the largest military installation in the U.S. with 666 officers and enlisted combined. It guarded against Indian attacks and allowed settlers to live in this area.
This military post received national attention in May of 1871 when General William T. Sherman arrested the ringleaders of a freight hauling wagon train raid. Kiowa chiefs Satanta and Big Tree ended up being tried in a Texas Civil Court. They were found guilty of murder and sentenced to hang. They didn't get hung due fear of Indian reprisal. After serving two years of a life sentence, Satanta and Big Tree were released from prison. The battle of Palo Duro Canyon was the turning point in the victory over Comanche and Kiowa raids along this northern frontier. In 1878 the army abandoned the fort.
The city of Jacksboro maintained some of the buildings: such as the hospital, officer's quarters and bakery. In 1963, Fort Richardson was declared a national historic landmark. The Texas Parks and Wildlife Department began extensive renovations on the site (in 1968). It was reopened as Fort Richardson State Park in 1973.
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| My photos of the park building were deleted by mistake. These are from the literature given out at the park. (At least they show what the buildings look like.) The enlisted barracks had over 150 soldiers crammed into two barracks.What a contrast between enlisted and the commander's quarters! |
For the camper who doesn't find Texas history interesting, Quarry Lake is right past the front gate, has good fishing and is pleasant to just walk around. Swimming is listed as one of the pastimes available at Fort Richardson but my husband drove close to three miles from the park to reach the only swimming area (Lost Creek Lake). We were told that our park pass would enable us to get in, but it wasn't needed. On a hot day, there was no one else there. It's a nice beach but the distance outside the park would make it a long walk or bike ride (traveling over city streets). I wouldn't drive to the lake with anything but an older truck or jeep since the paved road has potholes that make driving rough. I heard, from park staff, it's on the list of roads to be repaired but not on the top of the list. Even after repairs are made, there will still be a narrow one-way road leading to and from the lake. Listing swimming as an activity at the park is questionable in my opinion. Nonetheless, the historical aspects of this park combined with walking, biking, and horse trails along with a fishing site make Fort Richardson worth visiting.
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| A fish caught at Quarry Lake! |
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| Lost Creek Lake was a great place to cool off in on a hot day. |
While making my trash pick-up around Fort Richardson, I had to search for longer than usual to find the small amount I collected. It was the usual litter: plastic, food wrapping and paper.
I was unable to find information about why General Richardson was given the nickname "Fighting Duck". As a general, he was known as a good fighter but the duck part remains a mystery to me.
