In West Texas, water is water

Edited by Jim Fish

Ozona—What follows is a narrative lightly edited for clarity while preserving the authenticity of the period. It comes to us by way of an old newspaper article entitled, “Comanche Springs at Fort Stockton are Improved,” found in the San Angelo Morning Times (circa 1932), author unknown.

It seems reasonably certain that Cabeza de Vaca refreshed his travel-worn toes at Comanche Springs during his historic trek across Texas in 1535, the first recorded White man to make this journey. While historians debate his exact route and visit to what is now Fort Stockton, the significance of this watering place in Pecos County's history is undisputed. Native Americans, including the Comanche, used these springs both before and after de Vaca. It was a crucial stop for the Comanche as they raided southward from Oklahoma and North Texas, returning from as far as Chihuahua with slaves, cattle, horses, and any movable goods. The Apache and other tribes also frequented the area for their activities in early West Texas.

The Old Spanish Trail from Indianola through San Antonio brought ox and mule teams heading to Chihuahua, Mexico. In the 1850s, these routes also served travelers bound for California during the gold rush. The Butterfield Trail from St. Louis, via Fort Worth and the Angelo area, merged with the Spanish Trail near Fort Stockton. Stages carrying mail and passengers, along with freighters, naturally stopped at Comanche Springs.

Editor's Note: Clarification/Correction - The correct trail from Indianola, Texas, through San Antonio, and on to El Paso is known as the San Antonio-El Paso Road, also referred to as the Lower Emigrant Road or Military Road. This trail was an important route for mail, freight, and passenger transport during the mid-19th century. It traversed the Edwards Plateau and the Trans-Pecos region of West Texas. The Old Spanish Trail, had a different path, mainly entering Texas from the west, with a brief segment in El Paso, before extending further into New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

In West Texas, water is water. Freight trains carrying bullion from Chihuahua used the old Chihuahua Trail, stopping at Comanche Springs for water before returning with Crane County salt. To protect this commerce from both Native American attacks and the racketeers of the 1850s and 1860s, a series of forts was established, including Fort Stockton, Fort Davis, Fort Concho, Fort McKavett, among others. However, with the expansion of the Southern Pacific Railroad by Collis P. Huntington from Houston and San Antonio, beating Jay Gould's Texas Pacific from Fort Worth, and another line from El Paso to Chihuahua, wagon freighting at $9 per hundred pounds became obsolete compared to the railroad's speed and cost-effectiveness.

After troops and Texas Rangers cleared the area of various freebooters, peace settled west of the Pecos. Later, Arthur Stilwell's dream led to the extension of the Orient Railroad into Fort Stockton. Oil and other resources subsequently transformed West Texas from a mere passage to a region of significance.

The old fort is now just a memory, but Comanche Springs still gushes out sixty million gallons of crystal-clear water daily, regardless of weather or season. The Pecos County Water Improvement District No. 1 has long used this water to irrigate 5,500 acres east of Fort Stockton, growing alfalfa, wheat, cotton, cantaloupes, and other produce, contributing to the area's prosperity, especially when farm products were more valuable. Even now, with alfalfa selling for $10 to $13 a ton, it remains a lucrative crop.

Comanche Springs also serves as a recreational spot. Fort Stockton residents have developed James Rooney Memorial Park around it, featuring bathhouses, a community house, a nine-hole golf course, and more. Koehler's store and saloon, where H.H. Butz later joined his uncle, was once at the springs' edge, transforming over time into the Rooney Mercantile Company. Butz was also president of the Fort Stockton Chamber of Commerce in 1922 and 1931. Today, a stuccoed structure stands on this site, housing the Boy Scouts and American Legion downstairs, with a dance hall and kitchen facilities upstairs, all funded in part by Pecos County and the RFC.

Efforts are underway to secure NRA funds for covering the pool, allowing for year-round swimming, as the water maintains a constant 70 degrees. Historians might debate Fort Stockton's existence without Comanche Springs, but its importance is undeniable, contributing significantly to the modern city's development, with its paved streets, natural gas, and additional water sources. Water, in West Texas, remains water.