Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada

Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada (1756-1772) - A Spanish Presidio established in 1756 along the Trinity River near present day Wallisville, Chambers County, Texas. The Presidio was abandoned by the Spanish government as a fortification in 1772. The Spanish Period (1700s-1821) Established in late May or June 1756 by Lieutenant Marcos Ruiz. The presidio was built on the site of a former French trading post and designed for a garrison of one officer and thirty soldiers. Conflicts between the soldiers and the officers and between officers themselves created a series of problems at the presidio that included desertions, several officers relieved of command and troops being sent to the presidio to restore order. Two friars were sent to convert and minister to members of the local Orcoquisac tribe but their efforts were ineffective in the face of all the turmoil. To add to the problems, a hurricane destroyed the presidio and other facilities on 4 Sep 1766. The presidio was then rebuilt east of the original site. The transfer of Louisiana to Spain in 1763 removed the French threat and made the presidio unnecessary. By 1771 most of the troops were gone and both the presidio and the mission were abandoned in 1772 amid fears of Apache attacks. Current Status Marker only along eastbound side of IH-10 in front of Post Office {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: Wallisville, Chambers County, Texas. Map point is the marker site. Maps & Images Lat: 29.8521 Long: -94.72841 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: .....' Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 776. Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 160. Links: North American Forts - Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada Handbook of Texas - Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada Marker Visited: No