Fort Leaton

Fort Leaton (1848-1851) - Never a military fort, Fort Leaton was established by Ben Leaton in 1848 as a fortified trading post. The post was intermittently used by the U.S. Army until Fort Davis was completed in ..... Located on the site of a Spanish fort founded in 1773 known as El Fortín de San José at La Junta that was abandoned in 1810. He died of yellow fever on a trip to New Orleans in 1951. The post continued operating for some years under Leaton's wife and her new husband. Also known as Old Fortin, El Fortín, Fortin. Fort Leaton History The adobe building was 192 feet square with an internal courtyard 30' by 60', an internal corral that was 179' by 82' and about 100 rooms. The fort was built in an L-shape with the long side running east and west for 200 feet, parallel to the river. The measurement across the base of the structure was 140 feet. The walls were made of adobe bricks, eighteen inches long, five inches thick, and twelve inches wide. By laying the bricks crosswise, the builders made the walls eighteen inches thick. A stockade for animals was made at the base of the L. Large doors allowed teams and wagons to drive inside the structure. A crenellated parapet surrounded the rooms and fortified the structure. Current Status Part of Fort Leaton State Historic Site. {"selectable":false,"width":"500"} Location: The park is located 4 miles southeast of Presidio on the River Road to the Big Bend, (FM 170), Presidio County, Texas. Maps & Images Lat: 29.54273 Long: -104.3265 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 2,594' Source: 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 768. Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 162. Links: North American Forts - Fort Leaton Fort Leaton State Historic Site Texas Handbook Online - Fort Leaton Visited: No