Van Horn Wells

Van Horn Wells provided the only dependable water supply for miles of arid terrain and was used by Indians for centuries. It was named either for Maj. Jefferson Van Horne, who passed here en route to establish a fort at El Paso in 1849, or for Lt. J.J. Van Horn, who was stationed here to fight Indians in 1859. Wagon trains from south Texas welcomed the seep-water from the wells, as did soldiers on the San Antonio–El Paso military road. Riders for the Jackass Mail between San Antonio and San Diego stopped here, and the Butterfield Mail Line built a stage stand at the wells in 1859. The town of Van Horn grew up twelve miles north in the 1880s.

Van Horn, Texas · United States