Highway 51 South is the quickest route to Decatur and passes the vicinity of Ranger Sowell's Keep Ranch Fight and also the tail end of Big Tree's 1868 Kiowa Raid. A great alternative route is to follow 677 from Saint Jo to Forestburg and on down 1655 past Sowell's Kenon Ranch Fight to Alvord then catching 287 to Decatur.
My favorite route is to remain on Highway 82 past Saint Jo to Nocona. Six miles west is the marker to the Old Red River Ranger Station and 17 miles north on FM 103 are two markers near the site of Old Spanish Fort.
Old Spanish Fort
Highway 82
More Stories and Information on Fort Tours Road Trips
In the late 1750s, the Spanish sent an army of five hundred to punish the Comanche, Wichita and their French allies at what is now called the Old Spanish Fort. They intended to teach the Indians not to raid the settlements around San Antonio but their overwhelming defeat encouraged future attacks. The Spanish settlers became virtual prisoners inside the walls of their missions and presidios.