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El Fortin del Cibolo

US 67, Shafter, TX, USA

Texas, USA

MARKER

TICKETED:

NO

​PARKING:

NO

RESTROOMS:

NO

EST. 1857

EST. 1857

1829

HISTORIC PEOPLE WHO WERE HERE

0

HISTORIC PRESERVATION at El Fortin del Cibolo.

The Texas Historical Commission Atlas records this marker as in situ at the listed location. It remains part of the state marker inventory; the placement description and coordinates in this row follow the current official Atlas record and should be field-verified before publication.

About El Fortin del Cibolo

Milton Faver built El Fortin del Cibolo in 1857 as the fortified headquarters of his vast ranching empire, the first major outpost between Fort Davis and the Rio Grande. Faver used natural springs there to irrigate extensive vegetable gardens and a peach orchard. Its crops supplied soldiers at Fort Davis and the mining town of Shafter.

HISTORY HAPPENED HERE at El Fortin del Cibolo

Constructed in 1857, El Fortin del Cibolo was the headquarters of the vast ranching empire of Milton (Don Meliton) Faver (ca. 1829-1889). The heavily fortified structure was the first major outpost built between Fort Davis (established in 1854) and the Rio Grande. Faver, who reportedly learned of natural springs in this area from Indians who traded at his general store in Presidio del Norte, eventually acquired vast acreage surrounding the springs, thereby controlling the only steady water source in the vicinity. He built an irrigation system that supplied water for his immense vegetable gardens and peach orchard. Cibolo ranch crops supplied soldiers at Fort Davis and citizens of the nearby mining town of Shafter. El Fortin del Cibolo is a rare surviving example of a private fort in the Big Bend region. Reconstructed and restored based on archeological evidence and using hand labor, the one-story adobe, cottonwood, and cypress structure features a courtyard configuration with walls one to four feet thick; rounded towers at the northwest and southeast corners; gun ports; and wood canales (drain spouts). Hand-built stone fences accentuate the fort's primitive surroundings. It is one of the region's most significant historic structures. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1992. Source: https://atlas.thc.texas.gov/Details/5377001417

HISTORIC PLACES NEARBY

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