Fort Belknap (Texas)
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Fort Belknap
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Colonel William C. Young Texas Historical Marker at Fort Belknap: The gift shop/museum is in the background.
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 Fort Belknap
Fort Belknap
Location within Texas
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| Location | Young County, Texas, USA |
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| Nearest city | Newcastle, Texas |
| Coordinates | 33°9′2.79″N 98°44′28.36″W / 33.1507750°N 98.7412111°WCoordinates: 33°9′2.79″N 98°44′28.36″W / 33.1507750°N 98.7412111°W |
| Built | June 24, 1851 |
| NRHP Reference # | 66000824 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
| Designated NHL | December 19, 1960 |
Fort Belknap, located near Newcastle, Texas, was established in November 1851 by brevet Brigadier William G. Belknap to protect the Texas frontier against raids by the Kiowa and Comanche. It was the northernmost fort in a line from the Rio Grande to the Red River. The fort functioned as a base of operations rather than as a fortified point, and it became the center of a substantial network of roads, including the Butterfield Overland Mail.
Other forts in the frontier fort system were Forts Griffin, Concho, Richardson, Chadbourne, , Davis, Bliss, McKavett, Clark, McIntosh, Inge, and Phantom Hill in Texas, and Sill in Oklahoma. Subposts or intermediate stations also were used, including Bothwick's Station on Salt Creek between Fort Richardson and Fort Belknap, Camp Wichita near Buffalo Springs between Fort Richardson and Red River Station, and Mountain Pass between Fort Concho and Fort Griffin.
Some notable officers who were stationed at Fort Belknap include Captain Randolph B. Marcy and Lieutenant George B. McClellan. Together, the officers explored the Canadian River and found the headwaters of the Red River. The Second Cavalry was headquartered here in 1858.
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