A National Historic Site featuring Texas Frontier History and Civil War Relics

Welcome from the President…

Fort Chadbourne was established October 28, 1852, in what is now the Northeastern corner of Coke County, Texas, 12 miles north of Bronte on U.S. Hwy 277, almost on the county line with Runnels County. The gold rush was in full swing in California and the fortune seekers were pressing through Texas. From 1857 to 1861, the fort offered protection to travelers, settlers, and commerce heading west along this part of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route from St. Louis, Missouri to San Francisco, California. In 1861 Texas seceded from the Union and the fort was surrendered to Texas troops in March, narrowly averting the first shots of the Civil War being fired on this site. After the Civil War, the United States military returned briefly to Fort Chadbourne only to finally abandon the fort in 1873, due to a lack of reliable water supply. It is ironic that today, the dam impounding Oak Creek Lake is only mile upstream from the ruins of Fort Chadbourne. Oak Creek Lake today, provides water to many communities in this part of Texas.

I grew up on this West Texas land. It passed down through generations of our family. In 1876, my great-great-great grandfather, Thomas Lawson Odom and his son, Garland, moved 36,000 head of cattle to Runnels County, Texas, purchased land in several counties and established the O-D Ranch with Fort Chadbourne as its headquarters. The ranch eventually took on the name of the Chadbourne Ranch, as the area is known today. I worked and played with the fort in "my back-yard" and even with all the stories and intrigue of the place, I didn’t fully realize, until I went away to college, that not everyone has a fort in their back yard.

I came to know, over the years, that the history and the legacy of the fort should be shared with the public and that its heritage resources should be protected. My wife, Lana, and I are donating Fort Chadbourne to the newly formed Fort Chadbourne Foundation so that it will be in public hands, to be cherished and valued for its place in history. Fort Chadbourne is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and now for the first time since 1876, the fort is open to the public and will remain open forever.

Please look around this site and get acquainted with the people, the history, and the sights and sounds of Fort Chadbourne. Look at the opportunities for joining us as we work to bring the history alive through your support. Plan to come spend some time at Fort Chadbourne to experience this place and time so important in the history of America. Welcome to Fort Chadbourne.

Garland Richards

President, Fort Chadbourne Foundation

651 Fort Chadbourne Road

Bronte, TX 76933

325-743-2555