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Fort Leaton State Historic Site
Big Bend Ranch State Park
Entering Big Bend Ranch State Park from the west side on Road 170 is Fort Leaton State Historic Site. This historical landmark is just past the town of Presidio. Here is your entrance visitor center to the state park. The visitor center has maps, books, drinks, and gifts available for purchase.
This fort is one of the largest and best-preserved adobe structures in the state of Texas. The walkways are paved and perfect for handicap access. The picnic area is beautiful, and there is a short nature trail around the facility.
Most of this fort has been reconstructed and is not completely original, but it was reconstructed with original materials to make the adobe bricks as authentic as possible. It was not a military fort, but instead served as a home and trading post on the Chihuahua Trail from 1848 to 1884.
It served as the home of Ben Leaton and Juana Pedraza and their three children. They conducted trade operations with locals. American military soldiers would stop for supplies on a regular basis. Leaton traded and sold to Mexicans, Apaches, Comanches, and Americans. The fort was built in 1848 and Ben Leaton died in 1851.
In 1852, Juana Pedrasa married Edward Hall and they continued to operate the fort until 1925 when they ran into financial problems and sold it and left. It remained abandoned until the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department acquired the property and restored it.
The fort opened to the public in 1978.
One of the neatest things to see at the fort is the large carreta wooden cart. The Spanish…
