Fort Stockton was a historic place to stop and we decided to spend a couple of days there exploring the actual US Army fort and the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum in the historic downtown district.
This was the first stop where it was warm enough to wear short-sleeved shirts and shorts and we took full advantage of it by sightseeing and spending precious moments outside.
We stayed at the Fort Stockton RV Park on the East side of town but within short driving distance of the town. As an added bonus, the RV park has a restaurant open for dinner and breakfast each day and the first night we had the opportunity to try it out.
Ilene had a burger and I had the chicken-fried steak (I had to since I was in West Texas) and we weren’t disappointed. The food was tasty, the servers were pleasant and the atmosphere was pure Texas.
The next day we visited the fort and learned this was once headquarters of the 1st and 8th Infantry Regiments and 9th Cavalry Regiment “Buffalo Soldiers”. Yes, the same 9th Cavalry Regiment that fought along side Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders in Cuba!
The fort has a small museum as well as some of the original buildings from the 1860’s including an enlisted barracks, kitchen and officer’s quarters.
After our walking tour of the fort we drove downtown and took in the West Texas architecture and stopped by the Annie Riggs Memorial Museum. Annie Riggs ran one of the nicest boarding houses in the region and the museum has many displays and you can wander through the rooms learning about the history of Fort Stockton and the women and men behind its growth.
No stop in Fort Stockton is complete without a visit and snapshots at Paisano Pete. Pete’s the official mascot of Fort Stockton who measures 11 feet high and 22 feet long.
All-in-all, our stay in Fort Stockton was enjoyable and we’d recommend it as a stop for any of our friends and family.