Fort Elliott

Fort Elliott (1875-1890) - Established as Cantonment on the Sweetwater, Jun 1875, by Major H.C. Bankhead (Cullum 1484), 4th U.S. Cavalry & 19th U.S. Infantry. The post was renamed Fort Elliott in Feb 1876 after Major Joel A. Elliott who died in the battle of Washita. Closed 20 Oct 1890. Also known as Camp on the North Fork, Red River; Cantonment North Fork, Red River and New Post on the Sweetwater

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  Original Fort Elliott Flag pole at the Old Mobeetie Jail Museum in Mobeetie, Tx.
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  Original Fort Elliott Jail Cell at the Old Mobeetie Jail Museum in Mobeetie, Tx.
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  Fort Elliott Roadside Markers.

History

Fort Elliott normally housed fewer than 200 men. After 1883 a company of forty Indian scouts was also stationed at the post. In 1879 a company of the black 10th U.S. Cavalry was assigned to the garrison. Companies of the black 24th U.S. Infantry and 9th U.S. Cavalry, served there between 1880 and 1888. Between 1881 and 1884 Fort Elliott's troops were all black. The officers were all white with the exception of Lt. Henry O. Flipper, the first black graduate of West Point (Cullum 2690).

The main function of Fort Elliott was to stop small hunting parties of Indians from entering the Panhandle and those trying to escape the reservation. By the mid-1880s the garrison was policing the cattle industry, keeping Panhandle stock off the reservation, and supervising southern Texas herds being driven north through Indian land.

In 1887 the railroad bypassed Fort Elliott and by 1890 the Army had decided to close the fort.

Current Status

A set of roadside markers identify the location of the fort along Hwy 152 at the Mobeetie Rest Stop just west of Mobeetie. The original flagpole from the fort and a jail cell from the fort are on display at the Old Mobeetie Jail Museum in Mobeetie.

Picture Gallery

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  Fort Elliott Texas Roadside Marker
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  Buffalo Soldiers at Fort Elliott Marker
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  Fort Elliott Flag Pole Marker
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  Battle of Sweetwater Marker
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  Battle of Sweetwater Creek Marker & Sculpture

Context

Location: Located about a mile west of Mobeetie,
Wheeler County, Texas on Hwy. 152.
Lat: 35.518° Long: -100.457° Elevation: 2' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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Sources:

• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 149.
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 159.

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Elliot
• The Handbook of Texas OnLine - Fort Elliot

Related:
10th U.S. Cavalry, 19th U.S. Infantry, 24th U.S. Infantry, 4th U.S. Cavalry, 9th U.S. Cavalry, Camp on the North Fork, Red River, Cantonment North Fork, Red River, Cantonment on the Sweetwater, Forts of the West, New Post on the Sweetwater, Tour Guide to Old Western Forts,