[flag flapping in the wind]
- Right, march!
[marching footsteps]
- On my command,
fire! [cannon blast]
- At its height, Fort Richardson was the
largest military post in the United States.
Had close to a thousand soldiers here.
Fort Richardson was established in 1867.
It was the northernmost of the frontier forts throughout
now what is the state of Texas to help protect the
western movement of the settlers coming out.
- The fort system was really integral in being able
to settle the state.
So without the fort system, we would not have had
a state of Texas.
We would not have been able to defend it and be able inhabit it
as we do now.
[acoustic music]
- ROBERT: This weekend we are hosting our annual
living history event, and today we had 26 school buses
roll in here.
- I would have a pot in the fire, and I would pour
a whole lot of bullets.
- There are some people that get everything
they need out of reading textbooks or in the classroom,
but I am not one of those people.
- MAN: You have got the basics down.
- ANNIE: We are giving visitors an opportunity to see what
life was like back when this fort was operational.
- SOLDIER: Shoulder arms.
- ANNIE: They get to see the soldiers in action
and to see what activities might be available
to the children who lived in the fort back in the day,
it makes that connection to their history.
- WOMAN: Still there, isn't it?
- We are out here on a field trip,
out here to learn about the 1800s and how they
lived and stuff.
They did not have much technology that we had today,
obviously, so they had to put in a little bit more work
to do simple tasks.
[groan]
- GIRL: Could you imagine having to do that every day?
- It is hard to get out stains.
- SOLDIER: Company, forward, march!
- KORVIN: We got to march across the field with guns.
- SOLDIER: Double quick time, march!
- KORVIN: It would be pretty scary to know that you are
basically about to go fight...
- SOLDIER: Company, charge!
- KORVIN: ...because I do not want to get shot.
[snare drums]
Like doctors and stuff, it was a bit harder for them to work.
- He took care of 50 to 80 troops using this surgical set.
- KORVIN: And it is just crazy how they got through it all
with just a little bit of medicine.
[music]
- ANNIE: Fort Richardson has some incredible historic
buildings here on site, and there are tours available
for people who are coming and want to learn a little bit
more about it.
- We still have seven of the original historic buildings
still standing, two reconstructed buildings,
a museum and an interpretive center.
The staff here at Fort Richardson take great pride
in protecting and maintaining the integrity of these
historic structures.
[soft acoustic music]
Fort Richardson has a ton to offer.
It not only has the historical aspect.
The park has 57 campsites, all of them have water
and electricity.
We do have limited use cabins, nature trails.
We have the historic rumbling springs here on Lost Creek.
[footsteps]
We also have a nine-mile multi-use trail that wraps
around both municipal lakes, comes out at what we call
our north park over there.
We have the historic side of it, lots of hiking, biking,
and equestrian.
We have a lot to offer here in Jacksboro,
an hour from Fort Worth.
- TIM: You just twirl it back and forth...
When kids come out here, they are stunned.
When I was cooking this morning, they were like,
"Is that a real fire?"
Well, yes indeed it is a real fire, and that is real smoke,
and that is really hurting your eyes.
Which war?
- KID: I dunno. - Okay.
They are kind of stunned because a lot of kids,
they do not smell bacon cooking on a fire,
they don't see horses,
they do not see gun smoke from a cannon.
[cannon blast]
If history is real from the distance you are
from me right now, then it is believable.
- ANNIE: Having that multi-sensory experience
just really helps connect people to that history
and see why it is valuable and important to conserve
that history.
- ROBERT: We were the closest defensive line to Oklahoma,
which was Indian Territory.
We were a major contributor in the Red River War campaign.
Fort Richardson was a training post for the World War II
campaign, and the battalion that trained here became known
as the Lost Battalion.
- TIM: Fort Richardson is really unique.
And to keep it alive just as long as we possibly can,
I think it is the best possible way to honor what has gone on
out here and all the diverse cultures that have come
through here and helped build this place.
- SOLDIER: About, face.
Dismissed.
[marching footsteps]