Historic American Buildings Survey, David Twiggs, Frederick Lindstrom, Justine Christianson, Bartlett Cocke, Marvin Eickenroht, and Pamela Burdick. Fort Davis, Texas Route 17, Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, TX. 1933. Photograph. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/tx0429/.
The teacher will begin by displaying the images of the officers’ quarters, barracks, and chapel alongside the manuscript describing the ruins. Students will participate in a gallery walk, rotating in small groups to analyze each visual and written source using a guided inquiry chart focused on purpose, perspective, and historical significance. The teacher will provide a brief background on Fort Davis as a military post in West Texas during the 19th century, emphasizing its role in protecting settlers and trade routes. Students will be expected to draw conclusions about daily life at the fort, compare structures by function, and interpret what the ruins reveal about the passage of time and preservation.
Fort Davis, located in far West Texas, was one of the most important frontier military posts from the mid-1800s through the late 19th century. Black troops known as Buffalo Soldiers—members of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry—were stationed at the fort and helped protect settlers and travelers in this remote rural area.
- What features in the photograph help you understand the fort’s purpose and how it functioned in this rural location?
- How does the surrounding landscape in the photo help you understand the challenges of living and working here?
- What evidence in the photograph shows how people adapted the space for both military and community life?
ELA Standard
AL.5.28. Use audio and/or visual sources of information to obtain the answer to a question.
Social Studies Standard
D2.His.9.3-5. Summarize how different kinds of historical sources are used to explain events in the past.
Students read a wide range of print and non-print texts to build an understanding of texts, of themselves, and of the cultures of the United States and the world; to acquire new information; to respond to the needs and demands of society and the workplace; and for personal fulfillment. Among these texts are fiction and nonfiction, classic and contemporary works.
- The teacher will begin by showing photographs of the officers’ quarters, the chapel, and the fort’s remains. Students will discuss with a partner their observations of the photographs.
- The teacher will then introduce Fort Davis as an important frontier fort in the rugged mountains of West Texas. Students will hear a simplified story about the Buffalo Soldiers, who were African American soldiers sent to defend mail routes, settlers, and wagon trains. Students will learn that even though the Buffalo Soldiers worked hard and served bravely, they often lived in tough conditions and faced discrimination.
- Students will discuss as a class the following questions:
- What role did forts play in both protecting and disrupting rural communities in the 19th century?
- How do rural military communities compare to civilian rural towns in terms of daily life and structure?
- How do preserved rural sites like Fort Davis help us think critically about whose stories are remembered and whose are left out?
- After the story, students will compare life in the fort with life in a rural town or small community today using a T-chart. They’ll ask: What did people need in a remote place like Fort Davis? How did soldiers and townspeople work together?
- To close, students will reflect on how rural places—like Fort Davis—hold important stories that help us understand courage, community, and history. This will be done as a reflective writing.
United States National Park Service. Fort Davis National Historic Site, Texas. 2008. Map. Library of Congress Geography and Map Division. https://www.loc.gov/item/2010592138/.