Comanche Springs and the Story of Fort Stockton

Comanche Springs once flowed at 1,900 liters a second and was a vital water source in the desert. The U.S. Army built Camp Stockton — later Fort Stockton — at the site in 1859 to protect the mail road between San Antonio and El Paso. The town that grew around the fort — then called Saint Gall — became the county seat of Pecos County when the county was organized in 1875. The name was officially changed to Fort Stockton in 1881.

Heavy pumping from the Edwards-Trinity Aquifer caused the spring flow to drop sharply after 1947. By March 1961 the springs had stopped flowing entirely. The Comanche Springs pupfish, a fish found only there, went extinct when the water disappeared. The site of the springs and the historic fort grounds are still in Fort Stockton today. The Handbook of Texas and the Fort Stockton historic site have more on the area's history.