New Passports Promote Local Tourism

The Texas Forts Trail and Fort Concho have made a new addition to their programs recently, and are now offering a “passport,” which is a booklet of information on the various forts along the trail, and a place to get a stamp.

Those who get at least 12 of the 16 possible stamps will be eligible to win a free two-night stay at San Angelo’s Sealy Flats Blues Inn, Wildcatter Ranch near Graham or Sayles Ranch Guesthouse in Abilene.

The implementation of the passports is barely a week old, but according to Bob Bluthardt, it’s already working.

“First day, a couple was visiting Fort Chadbourne, picked up a book and headed here next,” he said.

Bluthardt explains that tourism is an industry that is able to help itself by promoting other sites, “If we do that for our visitors, then we hope that they do the same for us.”

The idea of cross-promotion doesn’t work for industries such as retail, but is uniquely effective in tourism because it deals with personal interests and intrigue. 

“If you buy shoes at one store, you’re not going to go down the street and buy more shoes, you’ve already got shoes,” said Bluthardt, but if one makes the effort to visit a fort or historical site, it’s likely  that that person is interested in visiting another.

Tourism is also an industry that is good for the region, “The longer you can keep a visitor in a region, the more economic benefit,” said Bluthardt.

Something like the Texas Forts Trail does keep people in the region to learn about a circuit of Texas History.

Texasfortstrail.com explains the historical significance of the area,

“From 1848 to 1900, the U.S. Army built 44 major posts and set up more than 100 temporary camps in Texas, the nation's largest military department. In addition, a number of earlier Republic-era forts, private bastions erected by pioneer families, and a host of much older presidios (forts) from the Spanish colonial period had been built and abandoned.”

These sites are both museums and centers for preservation of history, many involving Living History to give the people a taste of what life was like over a hundred years ago.

Many of these sites are along the trail and participate in the passports program.

Passports are available at the following sites:

• Brown County Museum of History – Brownwood
• Buffalo Gap Historic Village – Buffalo Gap
• Eastland Chamber of Commerce – featuring the Connellee Hotel, Grimes Memorial Garden, Old Rip Park, Connellee Plaza, the Majestic Theater, and the Eastland Historic Hotel
• Don Freeman Memorial Museum – Eden
• Fort Chadbourne – Bronte
• Fort Concho – San Angelo
• Fort Griffin – Albany
• Fort McKavett – Fort McKavett/Menard
• Fort Richardson – Jacksboro
• Frontier Texas! – Abilene
• W. K. Gordon Center – Thurber/Mingus
• The Grace Museum – Abilene
• Mineral Wells Area Chamber of Commerce  –  featuring the Mineral Wells Famous Mineral Water Company, Fossil Park and Palo Pinto Old Jail Museum Complex
• The Old Jail Art Center – Albany
• The San Angelo Museum of Fine Arts – San Angelo
• The San Angelo Visitors Center – San Angelo

To be eligible to win a grand prize, you must visit at least 12 of the 16 sites within this passport and get stamps.

Completed passports should be mailed along with your name, mailing address and email address to Texas Forts Trail, 3702 Loop 322, Abilene, TX 79602, before Dec. 15, 2014.

Upon verification of stamps and collection of contact information, your passport will be mailed back to you.

More information can be found at texasfortstrail.com