Site of Fort Smith
Itasca, Hill County, Texas
Marker Inscription
One of the chain of fortifications extending from the Colorado to Red River. Established in about 1846 as a protection against Indians. Named for Major Thomas I. Smith. Erected by the State of Texas 1936
Erected by Texas Historical Commission
The Story
Established about 1846, Fort Smith was one of a chain of posts running from the Colorado to the Red River, built to shield settlers on the advancing Texas frontier. Named for Major Thomas I. Smith, it guarded a line of settlement pressing into contested Indian country. The State of Texas erected this marker in 1936 to record the vanished post.
Why it matters
It marks the frontier defense line that opened north-central Texas to settlement while displacing the Native peoples who lived there.
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Related people
- · Thomas I. Smith
Themes & tags
Nearby & related markers
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