Packsaddle Mountain (Llano County, Texas)
Packsaddle Mountain | |
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Highest point | |
Elevation | 1,628 ft (496 m) |
Prominence | 548 ft (167 m)[1] |
Parent peak | Enchanted Rock |
Coordinates | 30°37′14″N 98°30′29″W / 30.62056°N 98.50806°W[2] |
Geography | |
USGS Cap Mountain |
Named after the saddle-like appearance provided by twin peaks, Packsaddle Mountain is a
History
It is thought that the Spanish mined the mountain for gold prior to the Texas Revolution and that it was the site of Los Almagres,
The mountain was the site of the Packsaddle Mountain Fight with 21 Apache Tribesmen on August 4, 1873 and was the last major Indian battle in the area. The fight on Packsaddle Mountain was precipitated when a woman from the Moss Ranch (in what is now Llano County) came into the ranch house with an arrow sticking out of her side. A party of eight ranchers, including W.B. Moss and his two brothers, was raised to pursue the raiders. They found some twenty-one Apaches encamped on Packsaddle Mountain. In the ensuing fight, at least three tribesmen were killed and three ranchers wounded.
The Texas state historical marker reads "Two and one half miles east on the Packsaddle Mountain, in a battle fought August 4, 1873, Captain J. R. Moss, Stephen B. Moss, William B. Moss, Eli Lloyd, Arch Martin, Pink Ayers, E. D. Harrington, and Robert Brown routed a band of Indians thrice their number. The last Apache battle in this region."[4] The Apache tribes had been encroaching Tonkawa tribal areas for some time.
Geography
At an elevation of 1,628 feet, the higher of the two summits rises 650 feet above Highway 71. Local topography ranges from flat to rolling to steep, with local escarpments, covered with soils ranging from shallow and stony to deep, fine, sandy loam. Vegetation consists primarily of open stands of
Pictures
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Packsaddle - Mountain Historical Monument
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Packsaddle - Mountain View from CR 309
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Packsaddle - Close View of Cliff
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Packsaddle - Old Silver Smelting Furnace
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Packsaddle - Old Rock Quarry
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Packsaddle - View towards Llano, TX
References
- ^ "Packsaddle Mountain". Peakbagger.com. Retrieved 2013-01-05.
- ^ "Packsaddle Mountain". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior. Retrieved 2009-08-30.
- ^ a b History - Kingsland Chamber of Commerce
- ^ Details for Packsaddle Mountain. Texas Historic Sites Atlas. Retrieved May 29, 2016.