Fort Leaton State Historic Site

Fort Leaton is an adobe structure with thick walls reaching about 22 feet (7 meters) in height, featuring approximately 100 rooms arranged around a central courtyard near the Rio Grande. The building was designed to function as both a residence and a commercial space for trade operations.

Benjamin Leaton established this trading post in 1848, and it later served as the first governmental center of Presidio County. The site changed ownership multiple times after Leaton's death and was eventually preserved as a historic location.

This place functioned as a trading hub along the Chihuahua Trail, where merchants from Santa Fe exchanged goods with local communities. The rooms show how commercial life and daily routines were organized during that era.

The fort is open daily from 8 AM to 4:30 PM and can be explored through guided tours or self-guided walks. The displays inside show artifacts and information about frontier life, making it easy to understand what you are seeing.

The adobe walls are about 3 feet (1 meter) thick and naturally regulate temperature, keeping interior spaces cool even during extreme desert heat. This traditional building technique shows how people adapted to harsh environmental conditions.

Location: Presidio County

Inception: 1978

Elevation above the sea: 782 m

Address: 4 mi. E of Presidio on FM 170

Website: https://tpwd.texas.gov/state-parks/fort-leaton

GPS coordinates: 29.54420,-104.32800

Latest update: December 12, 2025 08:00