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 (1500s-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. The presidio was established to protect the adjacent Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz del Orcoquisac and to counter any threat from the French in Louisiana.

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 the U.S. Post Office.

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See Also:
 * Mission Nuestra Senora de la Luz del Orcoquisac
 * Texas Missions

Sources:
 * , page 776.
 * , page 160.

Links:
 * North American Forts - Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada
 * Handbook of Texas - Presidio San Augustin de Ahumada
 * Marker