Fort Richardson State Park and Jacksboro

Introduction

One morning (June 16, 2012) we decided to drive out to Jacksboro, Texas to visit nearby Fort Richardson State Park. We usually take a look around the nearby town and look at shops and other things that might be open. I have driven back and forth through Jacksboro, many times. This day we stopped in pretty early, by 9 AM. We stopped in the town square, first, Since we stopped on a Saturday morning, early by town square standards, nothing was open. The courthouse stood absolutely closed. Still, we looked around and took a few pictures, prior to entering the park.

Fort Richardson State Park

When we arrived at the state park, we paid our entry fees and spoke to the rangers, got some maps then we set out to look around. Fort Richardson was built after the civil war and was used primarily as an outpost for the cavalry to deal with native uprisings. The fort was abandoned after about 15 years. It was reopened as a training post for soldiers during World War II. One of the US army’s most famous Batallions, the “Lost” Batallion, was housed at this location ready to head off to the pacific. When they reached the pacific theater, they were almost immediately captured by the Japanese and many of them ended up as slave prisoner labor building the Burma Railroad. The movie “The Bridge over the River Kwai” depicts these men. Almost 1/3 (167 men) died while in captivity.

The buildings of the fort are in varying degrees of wellness. Some are fully restored, some are in ruin. Many artifacts are available to be seen in the restored buildings. This is a huge complex, expect to walk, a lot, moreover, there are items stored in the area that have nothing to do with the fort and are interesting to look at. There is a massive steel through truss railroad bridge and the town’s first railroad depot, both stored in the immediate area. a short walk from the park grounds.

Impressions

All in all, both Jacksboro and Fort Richardson are worth the stop. I love the time we spent at the fort, yet, we want to spend more time in the town of Jacksboro. We plan to drive out, sometime, when everything is actually open for business. Maybe even take a walk and see some of the historic homes. While we feel like we have learned a whole lot about area history, yet, there is still much to learn. We will visit, again.

Things we’d like to do on our next visit to the area. For instance, we want to tour inside the courthouse! Further exploration of the town of Jacksboro, maybe even meet a few people and enjoy a beverage or two in a nice local place, maybe a meal. It will also be nice to look at some of the local neighborhoods …. typically, we meet some of the nicest people while just looking around. Riding bikes on the lost creek trail and maybe park for a while and just meditate. The entire trail is 16 to 18 miles out and back along a creek and a resovoir, as a result, that will make for a nice ride!

As we revisit and find new and interesting things in the area, we will add to this page.