{"nrhp_refnum":"73001972","name":"Fort Leaton","other_names":[],"category":"site","location":{"address":"4 mi. E of Presidio on FM 170","address_restricted":false,"city":"Presidio","county":"Presidio County","state":"TX","lat":29.541842470000063,"lon":-104.32715470299996,"geom_source":"nps_gis"},"listed_date":"1973-06-18","is_nhl":false,"nhl_designated_date":null,"areas_of_significance":["Military","Transportation"],"significance_levels":["state"],"summary":{"what_it_is":"Fort Leaton is a large adobe fortress-home and trading post on a terrace above the Rio Grande floodplain, four miles east of Presidio on FM 170 in Presidio County, Texas. It was built in stages beginning probably in the late 1830s and was established as a trading post by Ben Leaton in 1848.","why_significant":"It was one of four private forts along the Chihuahua Trail on the western Texas frontier and served as a refuge, supply center and outpost during early settlement of the Big Bend. Troops, Texas Rangers and U.S. soldiers used it as headquarters, and explorers and boundary surveyors visited. Investigations showed it was not the site of the 1683 mission or the Spanish presidio El Fortin, but it remains important to the area's development.","narrative":"Fort Leaton is a multi-roomed adobe compound of more than 25 rooms arranged around an interior courtyard, set on a terrace overlooking the Rio Grande floodplain four miles east of Presidio, Texas. Ben Leaton established it in 1848 as a fortress-home and trading post, though excavations suggest construction began in the late 1830s and proceeded in at least three stages. It was one of four private forts along the Chihuahua Trail and became a place of refuge during Apache and Comanche raids. Soldiers, Texas Rangers, explorers and boundary surveyors used it. Later owners lived there until it was abandoned in 1926, with sporadic use into 1956. Texas Parks and Wildlife acquired it in 1967. Archeological work showed that it was not the site of the 1683 mission or the Spanish presidio once assumed. Restoration in 1969-1971 damaged original material, and full reconstruction was then under consideration.","period_of_significance":"19th Century (specific date: 1830's on)","architect_builder":"Ben Leaton (established the fort in 1848)","architectural_style":null,"criteria":[],"status_note":"State-owned and open as a museum; the fort was occupied until 1926-27 and used sporadically until 1956. Restoration work in 1969-1971 damaged original fabric, and complete reconstruction was being planned.","vacant_flag":false,"machine_generated":true,"model":"claude-sonnet-5-5","prompt_version":"v1.0-2026-10-29","generated_at":"2026-10-29 02:54:19.025629-05","source_pdf":"https://s3.amazonaws.com/NARAprodstorage/opastorage/live/36/9732/40973236/content/electronic-records/rg-079/NPS_TX/73001972.pdf"},"photo":{"url_800":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001972/5dbd277abc-800.webp","url_1600":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/media/73001972/5dbd277abc-1600.webp","licence":"Public domain","author":"Carol M. Highsmith","credit_html":"<a href=\"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_portion_of_Fort_Leaton,_a_Texas_State_Historic_Site,_on_the_edge_of_Presidio,_along_the_Rio_Grande_River_in_Brewster_County,_Texas_LCCN2014630294.jpg\" rel=\"noopener\">Carol M. Highsmith</a>, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons","source_page":"https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:A_portion_of_Fort_Leaton,_a_Texas_State_Historic_Site,_on_the_edge_of_Presidio,_along_the_Rio_Grande_River_in_Brewster_County,_Texas_LCCN2014630294.jpg"},"district":null,"sources":{"nps_snapshot_date":"2026-05-22","nara_catalog":"https://catalog.archives.gov/id/40973236","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Leaton_State_Historic_Site","wikidata":"https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q5471495"},"indexable":true,"url":"https://nationalhistoricalregister.com/texas/presidio-county/fort-leaton-73001972/"}