Site of Fort Polk
Port Isabel, Cameron County, Texas
Marker Inscription
A mexican village developed on this point, settled by mexican ranchers in the 1700's. The village was abandoned prior to the U.S. Declaration of war with Mexico in 1846. U.S. forces led by general Zachary Taylor occupied the point on March 24, 1846. Taylor erected a depot here to receive supplies from New Orleans. The six-sided fort, named for President Polk, consisted of 4 sides of earthen embankments and 2 sides open to the shoreline. The fort was abandoned in 1850 but the settlement it attracted eventually developed into Port Isabel. Remnants of the fort were visible until the 1920s. (1995)
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
A Mexican ranching village once stood on this point, settled in the 1700s and abandoned before the United States declared war on Mexico in 1846. That March, General Zachary Taylor's forces occupied the site and built a supply depot to receive shipments from New Orleans, a six-sided earthwork named Fort Polk for the president. The fort was abandoned in 1850, but the settlement it drew grew into Port Isabel, with traces of the earthworks visible into the 1920s.
Why it matters
Fort Polk was a key logistical anchor for Taylor's army in the opening of the U.S.-Mexican War, and the town it seeded still stands on the Texas coast.
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Related people
- · General Zachary Taylor
- · President James K. Polk
Related events
- · U.S.-Mexican War
Themes & tags
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