First Rural School West of Pecos River
Fort Davis, Jeff Davis County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Built 1881 of adobe brick, by settlers P. H. Pruett, Cal Nations, James Dawson, Joe Dorsey. At the same time Pruett built home a half-mile north. A Texas Rangers' camp in area gave protection from Indians. Mrs. Pruett once made a midnight ride to alert Rangers to approach of Apaches. Pruett sold home, 1883, to Fort Davis Commandant B. H. Grierson, and founded "Lone Cottonwood" Ranch 4 miles east. School was closed after he moved. In 1912 Pruett sold "Cottonwood" to H. L. Kokernot; now several Kokernot ranches use it as headquarters. Recorded Texas Historic Landmark - 1967
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
In 1881 settlers P. H. Pruett, Cal Nations, James Dawson, and Joe Dorsey raised this adobe schoolhouse, said to be the first rural school west of the Pecos River. A nearby Texas Rangers' camp shielded the families from Apache raids, and Mrs. Pruett once rode at midnight to warn the Rangers of approaching Apaches. When Pruett sold his home in 1883 and moved to found the Lone Cottonwood Ranch, the school closed.
Why it matters
This adobe school marks the very frontier of American settlement in the Trans-Pecos, where education, ranching, and Indian conflict overlapped in a single hard landscape.
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Related people
- · P. H. Pruett
- · Cal Nations
- · James Dawson
- · Joe Dorsey
- · B. H. Grierson
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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