We arrived in Del Rio on the evening of February 1st. After being on the road for several days, we needed a few days to rest and time to catch up, set up new office space, etc. Luckily we were just a day ahead of the storm most all the way - blizzards in Oklahoma, ice in Dallas, and the day after we reached Del Rio, temperatures in the 20's for several days. We didn't mind though, because, we were watching the weather at home - 18 inches of snow and temperatures in the single digits.
After catching up and staying warm for the first few days, we venture out on our first day trip to Brackettville, Texas, where we snap lots of pictures and spend time at Fort Clark. Unlike many other frontier forts that were prominent in the Indian Wars, Fort Clark, situated in south-central Texas remained an active post through World War II. It was founded in 1852 and inactivated in the mid-1940's. The southern anchor of the Texas defense line in the 1850's, it guarded the San Antonio-El Paso Road and policed the Mexican border. We also make a visit to the Seminole Indian Scout Cemetery about three miles south of town, which includes the graves of four Congressional Medal of Honor Recipients with service at Fort Clark.
Brackettville, the county seat of Kinney County, got its start at the same time as Fort Clark -- in 1852. It was named after Oscar Brackett who was a sutler to Fort Clark. The community experienced a period of steady growth after the Civil War, attracting cattle rustlers, buffalo hunters, gamblers, and businessmen. There are some very interesting old buildings in the town. Seemingly, this small town doesn't tear down its old buildings, which is a photographer's heyday. Stay tuned, we'll be bringing you more on Brackettville soon.
Then we're off to do just a short stretch of the old Pecos Heritage Trail between Brackettville and Rocksprings. This trail, covering more than 1,300 miles provides visitors with a diverse landscape, including sand dunes, underground caverns, spring-fed pools, numerous rivers and creeks, lakes and much more. Encompassing 22 counties, seven state parks, dozens of towns, and hundreds of historical, cultural, natural, and recreational destinations, we're not going to do this in one stretch, but, rather, hit pieces of it at a time as we roam the area.
We do a quick tour of Kickapoo Cavern State Park; but, not being much into caves, we quickly move on to Rocksprings. The county seat of Edwards County, Rocksprings received its name from natural springs that bubble forth from the porous limestone rocks in the area. Founded in 1891, the area had previously been long favored by pioneers and native peoples. The only incorporated town in Edwards County, it has a population of about 1,300.
We then make our way back to Del Rio to make plans for more upcoming adventures.
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