A BIT OF HISTORY
Kinney County lies about 130 miles west of San
Antonio, and was named for Henry Lawrence Kinney, founder of Corpus Christi. Brackettville, the county seat, is 450 miles
from Orange on the east, and 490 miles from El Paso on the west. Kinney
County lies below the great bend of
the Rio Grande
on which it borders for 18 miles on the southwest. It is bounded by Uvalde
County east, Maverick
County south, Val
Verde County
west and Edwards County north. The county is nearly a perfect square 36
miles north and south by 34 miles east and west. It is nearly as large as Rhode Island, and has about 4,500
inhabitants.
O. B. Brackett, who also brought the first business to this
area for the convenience of the fort, began Brackettville in 1852 with the
building of the first house. The town
was a rendezvous for trappers, scouts, traders, cowboys, and troops from the
fort. Notorious men such as Ben
Thompson, John King Fisher, and Wyatt Earp spent a
considerable portion of their lives in Brackett.
Las Moras Springs, which rises on
Fort property, is without a doubt the most important asset in the area. The spring’s average flow is about 600,000
gallons an hour. The rate varies with
the season, but the springs react quickly to rains in the Campwood/Montel
area.
Fort Clark was established
in 1852 at Las Moras Springs by two companies old the
First Infantry under the command of Major Joseph H. LaMotte along with an
advance and rear guard of U.S. Mounted Rifles (later the 3rd
Cavalry). Located at the headwaters of
Las Moras Creek, the spring, named “The Mulberries”
by Spanish explorers was a site long favored as camp grounds for Comanche, Mescalero, Lipan and other Indians. During the late eighteenth and early
nineteenth century, the big spring was a
stopping place on the eastern branch of the great Commanche
War Trail into Mexico. The original site was a strip 1 to 2 miles in
width extending from Las Moras Springs downstream
about eight miles.
Fort Clark Springs is a restored cavalry post and remains
today much as it was planned and built in the 1870’s. It offers residents and visitors a visual
door to the past. The old Fort Clark
Cavalry Post is now a private resort and retirement community with a population
of about 1,000.
Kinney
County is a great place
to visit and/or live. Fishermen, bird
watchers, hikers, picnickers, campers and hunters enjoy the wide-open
space. Ft. Clark/Brackettville is less
than an hour from Old Mexico, where you can enjoy the nightlife, dine, and
shop. International Lake Amistad offers boating, fishing, swimming, picnicking, and
camping opportunities and protects world famous archeological sites.
To learn more about Ft. Clark Springs and Brackettville, please visit the
following web pages:
www.fortclark.com
www.brackettville.com
Barbara (Bobbie) Voss and Debbie Trant
are long-time residents of Brackettville. They would welcome the
opportunity to be of service to you in all your real estate
transactions.
Barbara J. Voss - Broker
Debbie Trant - Owner, Office
Manager and Real Estate Salesperson
Homes
RV
Properties/Lots
Mobile Homes
Commercial
Property
Ranches/Acreage
Telephone
830-563-2997
FAX
830-563-3666
Postal address
P. O. Box 1137, Brackettville,
TX 78832
Electronic mail
General Information: vossbj@awesomenet.net
Sales: vossbj@awesomenet.net
or lasmoras@sbcglobal.net
