Fort Ewell
Cotulla, La Salle County, Texas
Marker Inscription
Established here in 1852, guarded not only the frontier but the main San Antonio and Laredo Road, which crossed the Nueces River at this point, the Huajuco Crossing. The fort was abandoned in 1854, but when La Salle County was organized in 1880 Fort Ewell was its chief settlement. Near this site stood the first court house, a wooden building, later moved to La Mota Ranch. O. Henry came to Fort Ewell for his mail.
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established in 1852, this frontier post guarded both the border country and the vital San Antonio–Laredo Road where it crossed the Nueces River at the Huajuco Crossing. Though the army abandoned it in 1854, the site endured: when La Salle County organized in 1880, Fort Ewell was its chief settlement and home to the first courthouse. The writer O. Henry is said to have come here to collect his mail.
Why it matters
Fort Ewell marks the antebellum effort to secure Texas's roads and river crossings, a frontier waypoint that briefly anchored the settlement of an entire county.
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Related people
- · O. Henry
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
La Salle County
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