Fort Belknap Was a Major Frontier Post in What Is Now Young County

Fort Belknap was established on June 24, 1851, about three miles south of present-day Newcastle in Young County. It served as the northern anchor of a chain of forts protecting the Texas frontier. Troops from Fort Belknap pursued raiding parties and launched expeditions far to the north. The fort was also near the Brazos Indian Reservation, which held about 2,000 Native Americans before they were removed to Indian Territory in 1859. The U.S. Army finally abandoned Fort Belknap in September 1867.

During the 1930s Texas Centennial, local citizens restored and rebuilt several of the original structures. The Fort Belknap Museum and Archives now preserves records of North Texas history. The Texas Historical Commission has the site documented in its Atlas. It draws tens of thousands of visitors a year and is a good starting point for understanding how this part of Texas was settled.