The small town of Menard (population 1,300) sits along the blurry line where the Hill Country turns into West Texas. It’s more than an hour from any major city, but if the Spanish had had their way, it might have become our largest metropolis.
As I stood in the middle of a dusty field, staring at the crumbling walls of the Presidio de San Sabá, I couldn’t help but feel the dramatic story of conquest, bloodshed and what-could-have-been. Today, what remains of the abandoned Spanish fort covers a few acres on the north bank of the San Saba River.
The fort was constructed in 1757 to protect the Mission Santa Cruz de San Sabá, 4 miles to the east. Spain brought in a caravan of 300 soldiers and civilians to push their presence and control deeper into the heart of Texas.
Native Americans (and the French) didn’t want the missionaries there. And in March 1758, 2,000 Comanche and other natives (likely armed with French weapons) attacked the mission and massacred its residents. A decade of fighting between the Spanish citizens inside the fort and the surrounding tribes followed, until the Spanish gave up and left in 1772.
Over the centuries, the ruins became a sort of roadside attraction. Famous Texan Jim Bowie even carved his name in the stone gate after supposedly hiding his silver cache, but that’s another story. Sadly, the presidio’s history began to fade as its stones were scavenged to construct Menard’s growing downtown, and the grounds became an attraction on the city golf course. Seriously!
Luckily, it’s now a protected site that’s been extensively studied and cataloged.
If you’re a lover of Texas history and want a glimpse into the past—but without the constant threat of death—it doesn’t get much better than walking the grounds of the old presidio and pondering life on the Texas frontier.
