Abandoned Towns

Ghost town record · Young County, Texas

Fort Belknap

United States historic place.

Record

About Fort Belknap

Fort Belknap, located near Newcastle, Texas, was established in November 1851 by brevet Brigadier General 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.

This is a site record: what public sources say about Fort Belknap, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.

Map

Where Fort Belknap is

USGS topographic map around Fort Belknap
USGS topographic map, The National Map (public domain). The pin marks the coordinates in the record; old townsites are often a little off.

Historic maps

5 historic USGS maps cover Fort Belknap

Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.

Directions

Getting there

Google Maps directionsApple MapsOpenStreetMap

Before you go

  • Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
  • Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
  • Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.

Nearby

Other sites near Fort Belknap

Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our Texas index.

Sources

Sources

  1. ghosttowns.com, "Fort Belknap": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
  2. Wikipedia, "Fort Belknap (Texas)": coordinates and summary.
  3. Wikidata Q5470794.
  4. USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
  5. USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).