McChristian Collection to Live at Fort Concho

SAN ANGELO, TX — More than 700 items originally used by soldiers on the western frontier have been acquired by Fort Concho, which is sharing them and the stories behind them with history enthusiasts who flock to the San Angelo, Texas, site from across the globe.

The collection belonged to Doug McChristian, a 35-year veteran of the National Park Service with assignments at many frontier forts and sites west of the Mississippi River. It includes uniforms, hats, belts, holsters, ammunition boxes and various related accoutrements, all of which served as the basis for several of McChristian’s books. Those included the Tuscon, Arizona, resident’s two-volume work “The U. S. Army in the West, 1870-1880, Uniforms, Weapons, and Equipment” and “Uniforms, Arms and Equipment, The U. S. Army of the Western Frontier, 1880-1892.”

McChristian sadly passed away in September 2018 after a long illness.

He authored many works on the life and times of soldiers during the Indian Wars. His most recent book, “Regular Army, O,” has won several recognitions and awards. It serves as the primary reference for any study of enlisted soldiers of the 1870s and 1880s.

Fort Concho officials are thrilled McChristian wished his collection to be housed at the West Texas post, which served as an active military facility from 1867 to 1889 and today is a National Historic Landmark that is widely recognized as among the best preserved forts west of the Mississippi.

“Doug proposed this collection be permanently housed at our site with the provision that it be held in trust as a resource for display, research and education,” Fort Concho Manager Bob Bluthardt noted. “Given our overall mission, and the high curatorial and educational value of this unique collection, it was an easy decision for our staff and board to do what was necessary to acquire it.”

The Fort Concho Foundation coordinated a campaign to raise the funds needed to acquire and move the collection. Thanks to dozens of generous donors, the goal was raised in only two months.

Fort staff and volunteers visited McChristian’s home in late January to pack up the collection and transport it back to San Angelo. Cory Robinson, the fort’s curator of history, noted the collection is “outstanding in both its scope and condition. Doug collected with a very fine focus to outline the development, changes and various types of uniforms and equipment.” Among the many items are rare examples of prototypes that never saw a production line.

Over time, the fort will be displaying selected items from the collection at the Fort Concho Visitors Center at Barracks 1. Currently a winter-themed display has various greatcoats, a buffalo skin winter coat, and muskrat fur gloves and hats.

The fort will dedicate a major gallery of its future expanded visitor center to the collection.

Bluthardt noted Fort Concho had a relationship with McChristian dating back to the early 1980s. Back then, he directed a living history camp of instruction at Fort Davis that was attended by six Fort Concho staff and board members.

“Doug knew everything about the frontier Army back then, and he could play the role of a tough first sergeant most convincingly,” Bluthardt recalled. Over the years, McChristian and Bluthardt stayed in touch. “We also were fortunate to receive his many research files and library that we will share with researchers,” Bluthardt said. “Doug was most generous with his resources and we wish to extend that courtesy as a memorial to his lifetime of preserving the story of the frontier soldier.”

Fort Concho has been owned and operated by the City of San Angelo since 1935. It is located just south of the city’s downtown at 630 S. Oakes St. Its visitor center at Barracks 1 is open and free to all from 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays, and from 1 p.m.-5 p.m. Sundays.

For more information, visit fortconcho.com or call the fort at 325-481-2646.