After the Civil War, the Army segregated black soldiers into the 9th and 10th cavalry and the 24th and 25th infantry, and for much of 1869 to 1872 all of the hundreds of enlisted men stationed at Fort McKavett were black, as were most civilians in Scabtown, making the area one of the few frontier places with a majority of black residents. One of the two regiments of black cavalry stationed at Fort McKavett lived in barracks where enlisted men occupied close quarters and stored everything they owned on shelves above their beds. The Army offered young black men thirteen dollars per month, along with food, clothing, education, housing, and the chance to learn a skilled trade, while also setting aside money for each enlisted man at four percent interest until discharge. Some black ex-soldiers and Scabtown residents later settled in the area and formed communities. Jacob Wilks, who had escaped slavery by way of the Underground Railroad and served in the Civil War, was stationed at Fort McKavett from 1869 to 1874, then remained in the area, operated cattle ranches, and died a very wealthy man in 1922.