Images from a field trip to Fort Davis, Texas, USA. A national historic site.
Color has been edited from the original in all images.
Fort Davis as an important U.S. Army installation during the American Indian Wars and often occupied by Buffalo Soldiers. American cavalry called in the parlance of the time Colored Troops.
Cavalry their main opponent the Apache and their leader the American Indian war chief Victorio.
To the images:
Crossing the bridge and entering onto the Fort Davis national historic site itself. Those are married officers quarters in the background. Parade ground in the foreground.
Closer view of the parade ground. Walking in a counter-clockwise direction.
Barracks of the enlisted men. Not much left, is there? Strictly foundation and nothing more. Two squads of about ten men each living in each building.
Falling down, are we? Adobe structure having some sort of purpose as undetermined. Has been left in the state as was found when the National Historic Site was declared.
A dilapidated adobe structure slowly but surely crumbling away to nothing. It has been over one-hundred fifty years now since Fort Davis was established, so what do you expect?.
Several additional dilapidated structure made of adobe and again slowly deteriorating away to nothing. But it is desert country and that process going to take a while. Note the rugged terrain in the background.
Buildings the function of which is unclear to me. Some sort of operations and staff function. Even post headquarters perhaps. I cannot say for sure.
Quarters of unmarried officers. Today the nomenclature would be Bachelor Officer Quarters [BOQ].
Residence of the post commander. The dwelling at one time of Colonel Benjamin Grierson, his wife and children. A home of the period probably better than average. Two bedrooms, a drawing room and a dining room. NO bathroom or kitchen as would be found in a modern home. Persons washing themselves and performing bodily functions using a wash basin and chamber pot respectively. Food cooked in the kitchen of a separate building and brought to the dining room table.
coolbert.