Fort Hancock, Texas
| Fort Hancock, Texas | |
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| CDP | |
Abandoned buildings along State Highway 20 in Fort Hancock
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 Location of Fort Hancock, Texas |
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| Coordinates: 31°17′30″N 105°51′37″W / 31.29167°N 105.86028°WCoordinates: 31°17′30″N 105°51′37″W / 31.29167°N 105.86028°W | |
| Country | United States |
| State | Texas |
| County | Hudspeth |
| Area | |
| • Total | 37.8 sq mi (97.9 km2) |
| • Land | 37.7 sq mi (97.5 km2) |
| • Water | 0.2 sq mi (0.4 km2) |
| Elevation | 3,579 ft (1,091 m) |
| Population (2000) | |
| • Total | 1,713 |
| • Density | 45.5/sq mi (17.6/km2) |
| Time zone | Mountain (MST) (UTC-7) |
| • Summer (DST) | MDT (UTC-6) |
| ZIP code | 79839 |
| Area code(s) | 915 |
| FIPS code | 48-26724 |
| GNIS feature ID | 1357587 |
Fort Hancock is a census-designated place (CDP) in Hudspeth County, Texas, United States. The population was 1,713 at the 2000 census.
Fort Hancock is situated on the northern Mexico–United States border, across from El Porvenir, Chihuahua, Mexico. The Fort Hancock-El Porvenir International Bridge connects the two communities, and the Fort Hancock Port of Entry is located on the Texas side.
Texas State Highway 20, and the Southern Pacific Railroad, both run through the town.
Fort Hancock began as a military establishment named Camp Rice in 1882, along the San Antonio-El Paso Road. Camp Rice had formerly been located at Fort Quitman, and had been established by troops of the 10th U.S. Cavalry "Buffalo Soldiers". Camp Rice did not grow after moving to this community, and rarely hosted more than sixty men. It was renamed Fort Hancock in 1886 after the death of General Winfield Scott Hancock, a hero of the battle of Gettysburg. The fort was damaged in a flood that year, but rebuilt. It was damaged again by fires in 1889, then abandoned in 1895.
The remains of the old fort are located in a cottonfield about 1.5 miles (2.4 km) west of present-day Fort Hancock. A post office was established in 1886, with Albert Warren as postmaster. In 1887 a new railroad depot was built at Fort Hancock, and by 1890 the town had a population of 200, a general store, a hotel, and a meat market.
By 1914 the population of the town had dropped to 50, though by 1940 it had increased to 500.
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Wikipedia