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Las Moras Springs
Fort Clark is no longer an active military installation. In 1971 it was purchased by North American Towns of Texas and developed into a private recreation and retirement community (FCSA, 2008). Visitors are welcome, and guards will issue a pass to persons interested in seeing the Springs or touring the grounds. Springflow rates vary in response to weather conditions and respond quickly to rains in the West Nueces River basin. In his work at the Texas Water Development Board, Gunnar Brune estimated 51 flow rates for years between 1896 to 1978, and these ranged from a high of 38.8 to million gallons per day (mgd) in 1899 to lows of 3.6 and 2.6 mgd in 1964 and 1971. In those two years, the Springs dried up completely for a time. Begining in 1998 the USGS recorded occasional field measurements of flow, and in October of 2003 a permanent gage was installed for continous measurement. Real time flow data is available from the USGS at this location. Las Moras Springs were used for thousands of years by prehistoric people. Projectile points as old as the Plainview type have been found, indicating a human presence at least 8,000 years ago. It was long a favorite site for diverse cultures and tribes that anthropologists have lumped together as "Coahuiltecan", and later for Comanche and Lipan Apache tribes. Spanish explorers began to camp at the Springs in the 16th century and gave them their name, which means "The Mulberries". In 1840 a US cavalry unit drove Comanches from their village by the Springs, killing many Indian women and children. At that time, many bison, antelope, and wild mustangs roamed the area (Brune, 1981). In 1896 R.T. Hill and T. W. Vaughan, the geologists who first described the Edwards Aquifer, wrote:
Below the Springs, Las Moras Creek flows southwesterly for 29 miles to the Rio Grande in Maverick County, and it is partially intermittent along some stretches. The first European settlement in the area was Dr. John C. Beale's Villa de Dolores, located on Las Moras Creek about nine miles below the Springs. Settlers constructed grist and sawmills that used spring water for power, but the town only lasted a year. Colonist Sarah Ann Horn reported the main reasons the settlement was abandoned were Comanche attacks, the intermittent nature of the stream, and crop failure due to leaching salts that covered the land around Las Moras Creek (Rister, 1955). Around 1848, San Antonio businessman Samuel A. Maverick acquired the lands around the Springs, and in 1852 he leased them to the US government for the establishment of a cavalry post. It was known for a few weeks as Fort Riley, in honor of the commanding officer of the First Infantry, but was renamed at Riley's request to honor Major John B. Clark, a deceased officer who had served in the Mexican War. Along with other posts like Fort Inge in Uvalde, the purpose of the Fort Clark was to protect the road from San Antonio to El Paso and defend area settlements from Indian depradations (FCSA, 2008). The neighboring civilian settlement of Las Moras was established soon after the Fort, and the name was later changed to Brackettville. For almost a century the town and the Fort were closely identified. The Springs irrigated gardens and crops, powered an ice plant, and were an important stopping place for emigrants bound for California. During this time, Fort Clark was home to many infantry regiments and almost all mounted cavalry regiments. Many famous officers served here, including General George S. Patton and General John L. Bullis. In the 1870s, many sturdy limestone buildings were constructed, and over 40 nicely restored buildings form today's Historic District. By the end of World War II, technology had made horse mounted units obsolete, and the post was officially deactivated in early 1946. It was sold to Brown & Root Company for salvage and later used as a guest ranch and corporate retreat site. In the summer of 1964 when the Springs dried up completely, the Fort Clark Springs Association drilled two wells into the Edwards Aquifer adjacent to the Springs, and a pump station there is still in use. The town of Brackettville also drilled a well at that time to replace the Springs as its water supply. Today, a beautiful picnic area named Rendezvous Park surrounds the Springs with large groves of ancient oak and pecan trees. At the adjacent swim park, there are picnic tables and barbecue pits. The Springs still feed the swimming pool, which remains at a constant temperaure of 68 degree year-round. Along Las Moras Creek, fishermen, hikers, and picnickers enjoy seven miles of beautifully wood and publicly accessible creek front. Daily discharge measurements by the USGS began in 2004 and show that flows rarely exceed 30 million gallons per day. Flows rates can rise precipitously after rain events and afterwards there is usually a long slow decline, sometimes falling to a rate of just a few million gallons per day. For the latest real-time measurements, visit the USGS page on Las Moras Springs.
Some Las Moras photos
Las Moras postcards
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