Rangers and sovereignty Page: 182 of 188

                                
RANGERS AND SOVEREIGNTY.

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Old Spanish Fort
In the northern portion of Texas, are the plain evidences
of prehistoric settlement. About 25 miles
below Ft. McKavett, which is situated at the head
springs of the San Saba River, stands an old fort,
called the Old Spanish Fort. There is no history of it,
as to who built it, or when it was built. It was well
constructed for defense, being built immediately on
the bank of the San Saba River, and on the east bank,
having a large body of water on the west side, probably
a mile long, and 75 to 100 yards wide, with considerable
depth. There was no approach to the Fort,
under the banks of the river. To the east, there was
an open space of land, covering probably a half
mile, and pirfectly level.
They had some kind of cannon, and two diamonds,
well built, at each end of the Fort wall, upon which
their pieces were mounted. Curiosity led some people
to dig down at those diamonds, where they found
hundreds of round iron balls, something like the size
of an orange, that they had used in the field pieces.
The wall of the Fort was about 12 feet high, and
the inner buildings were joined to the main wall and
facing in from it. The Fort would accommodate 200
people. It was all built of stone.