Comanche war party by Richard Luce, courtesy of First People.
Camp Cooper, Texas, established in 1856, was a collection of tents and makeshift buildings made of mud, stone, and wood.
This short-lived camp protected settlers and controlled the 400 Comanche Indians living on the nearby Comanche Reservation. Robert E. Lee served as a junior officer at the camp in 1856-57. The camp was the base of numerous expeditions and patrols against the Indians until the Civil War began, and the commander surrendered the camp to Texas troops. During the post-Civil War period, the State militia and Texas Rangers occasionally used the camp.
A building dating from the early 1850s, probably constructed from fragments of post structures, stands near the southern edge of the parade ground. The present privately owned ranch house, a mile to the east, contains stones and glass from the camp. Permission to visit the site, which involves wading across the hip-deep Clear Fork of the Brazos River, should be obtained from the ranch owners. The site of the old camp is on a privately owned ranch in the vicinity of Fort Griffin State Park, which is on U.S. 283. The site is accessible only on foot.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated November 2025..
Also See:
Forts & Presidios Across America
See Sources.