2018 Fort Davis National Historic Site Lantern Tour
A Wonderful NPS Experience for young, old and everyone in-between!
Having visited Fort Davis National Historic Site (a National Park Service site) on many occasions, I was elated to discover a unique nighttime experience at the fort that I had never heard of prior. Scrolling through the endless political posts and ads on Facebook can often leave one disheartened and wondering why you even bother. But there, hidden among the negativity and the attempts by “businesses of interest” to dig deeper into my wallet, was a light amongst the darkness. A nighttime lantern tour of the fort would be offered on the evening of October 6th, a Saturday. I quickly checked the calendar to determine if I had any clients thus obligating me to other passions such as photography, birding, or giving a tour of Big Bend National Park. An optical perusal of the month revealed that indeed, I would soon be a participant for a tour that had captured my imagination.
The inner photographer in me began to consider which time of evening would offer the greatest opportunity for images that illustrate dusk, light, dark, shadows, buildings, and faces in such a way that truly represented the experience to come. I consulted my photography app revealing the exact moment of sunset (Civil Twilight), Nautical Twilight, and Astronomical Twilight. I decided the 7:25 p.m. tour would offer a great balance of light and dark to capture various moments along the way. A quick call and I was suddenly registered to join other men, women, and children walking across the historical grounds and, even into one of the historical bunkhouses normally off limits to tourists.
Young Girl with Lantern
My wife and I awoke to a frightfully busy October morning. A windy drive through Musquiz Canyon and we were soon at the Kokernot amphitheater where I would be photographing the first raptor show at Wild West Bird Fest in Alpine. Last Chance Forever, a non-profit organization dedicated to the recovery, rehabilitation and release of sick, orphaned, and injured raptors, puts on the fascinating show where hawks fly around the audience and the educational program offers individuals a chance to see and experience these fascinating creatures up close.
Eastern Screech Owl
Once the show was over and we finished visiting with new and old friends, it was then time for a quick trip back to Fort Davis for the wife and I to grab an awesome Tuna Salad sandwich on Potato Bread from the Stone Village Market. The freshness of the meat and vegetables makes for a wonderful sandwich and the side of fruit, coleslaw, or potato salad is sure to put some pressure on your belt. Our stomachs now full and our anticipation rising, we drove the short distance to the fort where the Friends of Fort Davis NHS had a simple booth to welcome tour participants. We were reacquainted with a new friend, Matt Walter, that we first met earlier in the day at the Wild West Bird Fest. Matt is the curator of the Museum of the Big Bend and was going to be our tour guide for the evening. This was a major score for us as Matt is a professor of history as well as a curator of the museum. The quiet understanding was that we had won a major prize this evening as we knew Matt knew more about the fort that most anyone else. He would also be the subject for what would turn out to be my favorite image of the evening which is at the top of the article.
Folks milled about the welcome booth and assembly area while awaiting our time to depart. Two previous tours had already departed and with tantalizing views in the near distance, we could see some of the learning and fun that awaited our eager arrival.
Officer’s Quarters
Supply Wagon
Matt then assembled all the awaiting participants for the 7:25 p.m. tour and explained to us, in general, what we would be experiencing this evening. He and his trusty tour guide partner both grabbed their lanterns and on a beautiful, cool October evening, we started off with Matt explaining the history of the fort and how the historical skits would be conducted. The skits were conducted by fort employees and local volunteers who just have a Texas-sized love for the history of the area. Several children were along for our tour and their presence made the night even more enchanting (and photographic)! The lucky tour participants were a mix of locals and out of town visitors.
Starting Off
Assembled
Have Lantern Will Tour
With final instructions, Matt lead our trusty troupe of tourists down the hall of columns to the bunkhouse where we would experience our first skit. Matt shared more history and later confided he felt all he did was talk, but I informed him that is what a great tour guide does and that the snippets of facts, story, and personal knowledge all contributed to making this tour a wonderful experience for us all.
Walkway
Upon our arrival, we entered the historic bunkhouse to a scene straight out of the 1870’s with soldiers playing a card game and relaxing near their bunks. There was the typical complaining about conditions, discussions of a soldier’s typical work responsibilities, and of current happenings in and around the fort. The subtle lighting made photographing the scene challenging but helps the viewer understand the reality of life for the soldier in the day.
Bunkhouse
Soldier
With the soldiers wrapping up by one of them declaring he was ready to leave the army for good, we then made our way to the flag on the fort grounds were a soldier had obviously imbibed too much of the spirits and was soon to be chastised by an officer.
To the Brig
Officer Confronts Soldier
Junior Ranger Ponders the Soldier’s Fate
The sun began to drop behind Sleeping Lion Mountain the sky to the east took on a purplish hue as we made our way across the grounds to a rather lively conversation among the Fort’s commander, an officer and their wives. Topics of the day included current events such as the Statue of Liberty, immigration, parties of the high society in Washington D.C., and the latest in fashion on the East Coast. The ladies were certainly insistent that the commander bring back word of the topics of most interest to them so they could share amongst the other ladies of the fort. It was soon time to move on and a short jaunt down the line of officer’s quarters found us at the porch of another residence where the family sat upon the porch singing and the kids playing games of the period. We were treated to a hymn and the young boys demonstrated the action behind Row, Row, Row Your Boat. Another song, a popular song of the day and it was over too soon and our time to move on was at hand.
Porch Time
Enthralled
Watching the Performance
Family Singing on the Porch
With sunlight fading even further, the lanterns really began to take on a more significant part of the tour as shadows played across buildings, tourists, guides, and reenactors. After experiencing a typical porch night for a family at the fort, we made our way behind the officer’s quarters to a kitchen out behind. Before arriving, our olfactory senses let us know we were in for a treat as the scent of homemade sugar cookies and hot apple cider wafted between the homes. A murmuring amongst the participants broke out as we realized what was in store for us. Guided to some benches, the ladies exited the kitchen and began to enlist us for the typical chores of the day and giving us the good news that since the Sabbath was the following day, we would be allowed to sleep until 4:30 a.m. or, possibly, even 5:00 a.m.! We devoured our cookies and cider as we had actually been doing chores around the fort all day! A friendly banter among the ladies broke out as they discussed what chores we would be doing as they competed for free labor.
Passing Out the Treats
Enjoying Our Bounty
Kitchen Light
Darkness began to descend quite quickly as if someone was pulling the drapes closed on another day. With the lingering taste of sugar cookie and apple cider on our taste buds, we followed the light of the lantern across the grounds to the fort bugler playing Taps letting us know the time for bed was near. The guides and their lanterns stood out against the blue hue of nautical twilight and it was a very moving moment as you realized this sound had echoed across these grounds more than 100 years ago.
Taps
Explaining the Bugler’s Role
Walking along the Trail
A quick trip and once again we stood in front of an officer’s house with a porch occupied by some wearing women have a conversation before bedtime beckoned their weary bodies after a day of labor. Their talk consisted of the news of the day, some juicy gossip, and pondering about the future. The younger tour participants lined up along the porch railing for a closer view and to listen on the news of the day broadcast from the porch.
A Young Eavesdropper
Surprised by the News
Did You Hear?
We knew our journey was nearing an end but we still had one more stop to make before calling an end to a spectacular experience. A short walk to a wagon revealed three merchants engaged in a conversation about the prohibition of alcohol on the fort grounds and the economic and personal suffrage this would bring. The conversation ended by coming to the conclusion that the men would still acquire their alcohol but not by putting a lot of money in the pockets of these merchants.
Wagon Woes
As the merchants bid farewell, our small band of intrepid travelers made our way back the welcome booth at the fort entrance. Delighted that we got to be a part of the experience, but sorrowful that the night had come to an end, we headed for the parking lot with words of appreciation to our hosts and a determined desire to return next year.
