The Club’s October 4th Saturday Ride rode straight into where history was made at Fort McKavett. Ten Club members plus a friend of the Club and led by Ride Captain Glenn Burmeister, made the trek to the historic site. It was a fantastic sunny day, and the route offered a very laid-back ride. The ride ended at the Silver Spur restaurant with a great meal. The restaurant/bar was filled with western character and then filled with characters once we arrived.
The historic fort overlooks the spring fed waters of the San Saba River and is one of the best preserved and most intact examples of a Texas Indian Wars military post. Before Spanish missionaries arrived in the 1750s, the U. S. Army in 1852, and pioneers began pushing West, the region was home to various Native American Indian tribes. The fort was established, in part to guard the upper San Antonio-El Paso road and deter Native American and bandito attacks in the region. The fort’s garrison consisted of between 350 to 500 men usually considered a half regiment, a regimental headquarters, and two or more carvery companies. While it was in service the fort served as a supply base for West Texas and for testing new weapons and equipment.
Fort McKavett was retired as an active military fort in 1883 and was then occupied by nearby settlers. Today the Texas Historical Commission and Friends of Fort McKavett are helping to preserve and protect this historic site.
