Visiting the Historic Town of Fort Stockton, Texas

Home of Paisano Pete

We are camping at Big Bend National Park. The closest Walmart is in Fort Stockton — 104 miles north of us on Highway 385. We wouldn’t need a Walmart except that we get our prescriptions from there, and our current health insurance only allows us to get a 30-day supply at a time.

I wanted to see Fort Stockton anyway so we just made a day trip of it. There is so much to see here one day is not nearly enough time, but we did it. I want to share some of the greatest places to see with you. This is the order in which we drove around and saw places.

Fort Stockton was an important Indian Wars Fort from 1867 to 1886. The houses are old here. Many of them 1800’s adobe. In fact, the oldest house is thought to have been built sometime around 1855 or 1860 before the fort was even built.

During the Civil War this building served as a shelter for travelers and stagecoach passengers. You can tell the building is crumbling. The preservation society of Pecos County is in the process of taking steps to preserve what is left.

The historic Pecos County first jail was built in 1877. It was originally the first two sections on the left. The middle section was added in 1883, and the final sections on the right were completed in 1912. The jail as you see it today is now a museum dedicated to all law enforcement officers who have served in Pecos County.

We have been seeing roadrunners like crazy zoom across the road in front of us so fast that I can’t get any pictures of them. I wasn’t too slow to get a photo of this guy.

Paisano Pete is the largest roadrunner in the world. The unofficial mascot of Fort Stockton was erected in 1980. He stands 11 feet tall. He is one of the most photographed birds in America. We parked and got out to get some good photos and then walked across the street to a display of the first cowboys of the open range and the early settlers.

Historic downtown is filled with shops and a great family diner called B’s. I loved walking this main street area and seeing all the old chairs they had sitting out for decorations.

The Historic First National Bank is here in this area too, with its front doric columns supporting it. It was constructed in 1912. When the bank moved, it served as the police department until 2019. It now looked vacant to us.

Next we stopped at the Pecos County Courthouse. This fourth courthouse building was renovated/built in 1912. There were originally three other buildings before this one. This building features stained glass and is still in use today.

Across the street is the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum. We did not take the time to go in since we were only there for one day. Annie Riggs was the wife of Barney Riggs, who was both a gunslinger and a deputy, working both sides of the law.

Catecorner was the old Grey Mule Wine Saloon. The building was built around 1890 and was one of the saloons visited by cowboys, rangers, and soldiers. It is open for meals and wine tasting.

Next on our list was the original old fort itself. The fort was originally established in 1859 as Camp Stockton. After the Civil War it was abandoned in 1861. Confederate troops occupied it for a short time in 1862. In July, 1867 the fort was re-established by companies of the 9th U.S. Cavalry Regiment.

The first building at the old fort sign is Young’s Store. It was opened in 1876 by Billy Young. It contained an officer’s club and living quarters for the laundresses of the fort. It remained a general store and saloon until sometime in the 1900's.

As we drove around the fort and saw the guard house and officer’s quarters, I saw a sign with an arrow on it. It said “Historic Fort Stockton Driving Tour.” A lightbulb went off. All these yellow signs I had seen at each one of the stops had a number on them. 1, 2, 3, and so on. Oh. We could have taken the tour and seen each place in order. I think I missed a few cause looking back through the photos I don’t have each and every number.

Oh well. Maybe I will get them all next time we are in the area.

Onward and upward.

Officer’s Row included eight separate buildings on the west side of the grounds. Some of the buildings burned down in a fire in 1872, and only three remain.

The Guard House is also still standing.

This Indian Wars Fort was the first headquarters of the 9th Cavalry and was home to primarily white officers and black soldiers , who were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Native Americans. The fort was active from 1867 to 1886.

The cemetery is one place that I was glad to see. Burials here occurred between 1859 and 1912. Reflecting on the soldiers who died and the first people who traveled west and lived here is humbling. We were not allowed inside to get a closer look at the gravestones. The gate was closed.

There is so much more to see in Fort Stockton. I wouldn’t want to share all the photos I took and leave nothing for you to explore on your own. This town is very cool and great stop on Interstate 10 if you are traveling through. Don’t miss it.

I hope you enjoyed my tour of Fort Stockton. If you did please clap and comment and let me know what you think. Heck, why not even follow me so I can take you with me wherever I go.