Editing Fort Hancock, Texas

{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2023}}
{{Infobox settlement
|official_name            = Fort Hancock, Texas
|settlement_type          = [[Census-designated place]]
|nickname                 =
|motto                    =
<!-- Images --> 
|image_skyline            = Buildings along Texas State Highway 20 in Fort Hancock, Texas.jpg
|imagesize                = 
|image_caption            = Abandoned buildings along [[Texas State Highway 20|State Highway 20]] in Fort Hancock
|image_flag               =
|image_seal               =
<!-- Maps -->
|image_map                = TXMap-doton-FortHancock.PNG
|mapsize                  = 250px
|map_caption              = Location of Fort Hancock, Texas
|image_map1               = Hudspeth County FortHancock.svg
|mapsize1                 = 250px
|map_caption1             =
<!-- Location -->
|subdivision_type         = [[List of sovereign states|Country]]
|subdivision_name         = United States
|subdivision_type1        = [[U.S. state|State]]
|subdivision_name1        = [[Texas]]
|subdivision_type2        = [[List of counties in Texas|County]]
|subdivision_name2        = [[Hudspeth County, Texas|Hudspeth]]
<!-- Government -->
|government_footnotes     =
|government_type          =
|leader_title             =
|leader_name              =
|leader_title1            =
|leader_name1             =
|established_title        =
|established_date         =
<!-- Area -->
|unit_pref                = Imperial
|area_footnotes           =
|area_total_km2           = 49.7
|area_land_km2            = 49.0
|area_water_km2           = 0.7
|area_total_sq_mi         = 
|area_land_sq_mi          = 
|area_water_sq_mi         =
<!-- Population -->
|population_as_of         = [[2020 United States Census|2020]]
|population_footnotes     = <ref name="Census 2020">{{Cite web |url=https://data.census.gov/table/DECENNIALDP2020.DP1?g=160XX00US4826724 |title=Profile of General Population and Housing Characteristics: 2020 Demographic Profile Data (DP-1): Fort Hancock CDP, Texas |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=February 9, 2024}}</ref>
|population_total         = 1052
|population_density_km2   = 
|population_density_sq_mi = 55.52
<!-- General information -->
|timezone                 = [[Mountain Time Zone|Mountain (MST)]]
|utc_offset               = -7
|timezone_DST             = MDT
|utc_offset_DST           = -6
|elevation_footnotes      = <ref name=gnis/>
|elevation_ft             = 3524
|coordinates              = {{coord|31|17|30|N|105|50|40|W|region:US_type:city|display=inline,title}}
|postal_code_type         = [[ZIP code]]
|postal_code              = 79839
|area_code                = [[Area code 915|915]]
|blank_name               = [[Federal Information Processing Standard|FIPS code]]
|blank_info               = 48-26724<ref name="GR2">{{cite web |url=https://www.census.gov |publisher=[[United States Census Bureau]] |access-date=2008-01-31 |title=U.S. Census website }}</ref>
|blank1_name              = [[Geographic Names Information System|GNIS]] feature ID
|blank1_info              = 2408240<ref name=gnis>{{GNIS|2408240}}</ref>
|website                  =
|footnotes                =
}}
[[File:Fort Hancock, Texas in 1916.jpg|thumb|Fort Hancock in 1916]]
'''Fort Hancock''' is an [[Unincorporated area|unincorporated community]] and [[census-designated place]] (CDP) in [[Hudspeth County, Texas]], United States. Its population was 1,052 at the 2020 census.<ref name="Census 2020"/>

Fort Hancock is situated on the [[Mexico–United States border]], across from El Porvenir, [[Chihuahua (state)|Chihuahua]]. The [[Fort Hancock–El Porvenir International Bridge]] connects the two communities, and the [[Fort Hancock Port of Entry]] is located on the Texas side.

[[Texas State Highway 20]] and the [[Union Pacific Railroad]] run through the town.

==History==
=== Camp Rice and Fort Hancock ===
Fort Hancock began as a military establishment named Camp Rice in 1882, along the [[San Antonio-El Paso Road]]. Camp Rice had formerly been located at [[Fort Quitman]], and had been established by troops of the 10th U.S. Cavalry "[[buffalo soldier]]s". Camp Rice did not grow after moving to this community, and rarely hosted more than 60 men. It was renamed Fort Hancock in 1886 after the death of General [[Winfield Scott Hancock]], a hero of the [[Battle of Gettysburg]]. The fort was damaged in a flood that year, but rebuilt. It was damaged again by fires in 1889, then abandoned in 1895.<ref>Handbook of Texas Online, Bruce J. Dinges, "Fort Hancock," accessed July 28, 2016, https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/qbf24.</ref>  The remains of the old fort are located in a cotton field about {{convert|1.5|mi|km}} west of present-day Fort Hancock.

=== Town of Fort Hancock ===
A post office was established in 1886, with Albert Warren as postmaster. In 1887, a new railroad depot was built at Fort Hancock, and by 1890, a town had grown up around it and had a population of 200, a general store, a hotel, and a meat market.

By 1914, the population of the town had dropped to 50, though by 1940, it had increased to 500.<ref>{{cite web | last = Kohout | first = Martin Donell | title = Fort Hancock, TX | publisher = Handbook of Texas Online | url = https://tshaonline.org/handbook/online/articles/hlf25}}</ref>

Federal troops were sent to Fort Hancock in 1918 to contain Mexican "bandits and outlaws" operating along the border. The bandits were suspected of being [[Mexico in World War I|directed by German agents]].<ref>{{cite web | title = Enemy Troops Mass on Border; Scent Enemy Plot | publisher = Middletown News-Signal | date = April 11, 1918 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=3XtXAAAAIBAJ&dq=fort-hancock-texas&pg=5502%2C4211420}}</ref>

In 1995, a 13-year-old Ricardo Soto "trying to get toys for Christmas" fired three rifle shots at a semitrailer traveling along nearby [[Interstate 10 in Texas|Interstate 10]], hoping to blow out a tire so the truck would spill its load.  He instead hit the driver of a pickup truck, Alberto Tarango, fatally wounding him.<ref>{{cite news | title = Boy Accused of Firing Gun at Truck to Get Toys | work = [[Milwaukee Journal Sentinel]] | date = Dec 27, 1995 | url = https://news.google.com/newspapers?id=vW8aAAAAIBAJ&dq=fort-hancock-texas&pg=5140%2C979168}}</ref> The man succumbed to his injuries two days later.

Officials in Fort Hancock raised the speed limit to {{convert|80|mph}} in 2006 along their portion of Interstate 10, making it the highest speed limit in the country.<ref>{{cite web | last = Stirling | first = Larry | title = The 80th percentile | publisher = San Diego Source | date = Oct 18, 2006 | url = http://www.sddt.com/news/article.cfm?SourceCode=20061018tza#.UeXvzm3t74A}}</ref>

In 2006, [[CNN]] did a feature story about Fort Hancock, highlighting the close relationship between families living on the US and Mexican sides of the border. In the introduction, it described how "illegal immigrants risk their lives to cross the border, but not in Fort Hancock, Texas. A casual stroll across the foot bridge gets you in there." In an interview with Hudspeth County Deputy Sheriff Mike Doyal, he described the border as "just an open footway traffic for people coming across", and showed one of the four unguarded foot bridges that connect Fort Hancock to Mexico. Doyal spoke fondly of his Mexican neighbors, saying "those are not the people that we have a problem with, because I'm going to make it real clear that some of those people on the other side are some of the nicest people you would ever want to meet in your life." CNN described Fort Hancock as "a timeless place", adding, "for people who live here, the border barely exists. We found these Mexican cattle ranchers moving their herd along the river. A few times the cows [sic] would move into the U.S., the buckaroos rode across the dried-out river and collected their animals."<ref>{{cite web | title = Bridging the Border | publisher = [[CNN]] | date = May 17, 2006 | url = https://transcripts.cnn.com/show/lt/date/2006-05-17/segment/01}}</ref>

The quiescent community described by CNN in 2006 had changed significantly by 2010 when residents became increasingly concerned that violence associated with the [[Mexican Drug War|Mexican drug trade]] would spill across the border. In one instance, Deputy Sheriff Doyal announced to townspeople: "We just got word that the cartel has threatened to kill children in schools across the border unless parents paid 5000 pesos."<ref>{{cite web | last = Barnes | first = Ed | title = Texas Town on High Alert as Mexican Town Across Border Braces for Cartel Gun Battle | publisher = [[Fox News Channel]] | date = March 31, 2010 | url = https://www.foxnews.com/us/texas-town-on-high-alert-as-mexican-town-across-border-braces-for-cartel-gun-battle/}}</ref> The county's sheriff, Arvin West, cautioned farmers to arm themselves.<ref>{{cite web | last = Burnett | first = John | title = Sheriff To Texas Border Town: 'Arm Yourselves' | publisher = [[NPR]] | date = April 9, 2010 | url = https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=125737965}}</ref>

{{update section|date=October 2020}}

The newly erected [[Mexico–United States barrier]] is not a continuous wall, but rather a segmented one, at places no more than a fence.  This has led many unauthorized migrants to traverse the barrier on the Mexican side in search of a break; breaks are often in remote desert areas like Fort Hancock. This "funnel effect" has contributed to the deaths of thousands of unauthorized migrants, who are frequently found dead in the hot Texas sun.<ref>{{cite web | title = A Continued Humanitarian Crisis at the Border: Undocumented Border Crosser Deaths Recorded by the Pima County Office of the Medical Examiner, 1990-2012 | publisher = University of Arizona | year = 2013 | url = http://bmi.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/border_deaths_final_web.pdf | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130920111514/http://bmi.arizona.edu/sites/default/files/border_deaths_final_web.pdf | archive-date = 2013-09-20 }}</ref> Journalist Joseph J. Kolb interviewed local rancher Lupe Dempsey, who described how "on her doorstep was a 25-year-old man named Juan who, thirsty and disoriented, told how he'd become lost after illegally crossing the border and had wandered the desert in 110-degree heat." Kolb added, "His story was not unique to Dempsey and others in this West Texas town, where the 18-foot-high U.S. border fence ends abruptly, giving way to a few strands of barbed wire."<ref>{{cite web | last = Kolb | first = Joseph J. | title = Fort Hancock, Texas: Where a fence and hope for illegals ends | publisher = [[Fox News Channel]] | date = July 1, 2013 | url = https://www.foxnews.com/us/fort-hancock-texas-where-a-fence-and-hope-for-illegals-ends/}}</ref>

==Geography==
The Fort Hancock CDP is in southwestern Hudspeth County, bordered to the southwest by the [[Rio Grande]] and to the northeast by Interstate 10, with access from exits 68, 72, and 78. I-10 leads northwest {{convert|52|mi}} to [[El Paso, Texas|El Paso]] and east {{convert|67|mi}} to [[Van Horn, Texas|Van Horn]]. According to the [[United States Census Bureau]], the CDP has a total area of {{convert|49.7|km2|order=flip}}, of which {{convert|49.1|km2|order=flip}} are land and {{convert|0.7|km2|order=flip|1|abbr=on}}, or 1.33%, are covered by water.<ref name="Census 2010">{{Cite web|title=United States Census Bureau: Fort Hancock CDP, Texas|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Fort%20Hancock%20CCD,%20Hudspeth%20County,%20Texas&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P1|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20200213111143/https://factfinder.census.gov/bkmk/table/1.0/en/DEC/10_SF1/G001/1600000US4826724|archive-date=February 13, 2020|access-date=March 19, 2018|work=American Factfinder|publisher=U.S. Census Bureau}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{US Census population
|2020= 1052
|align-fn=center
|footnote=U.S. Decennial Census<ref name="DecennialCensus">{{cite web|url=https://www.census.gov/programs-surveys/decennial-census/decade.html|title=Decennial Census by Decade|publisher=[[US Census Bureau]]|access-date=}}</ref><br> 1850–1900<ref name=1900CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1900 Census of Population - Population of Texas By Counties And Minor Civil Divisions |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1900/bulletins/demographic/49-population-tx.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1910<ref name=1910CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1910 Census of Population - Supplement for Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1910/abstract/supplement-tx-p1.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1920<ref name=1920CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1920 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1920/bulletins/demographics/population-tx-number-of-inhabitants.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1930<ref name=1930CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1930 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1930/population-volume-1/03815512v1ch10.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1940<ref name=1940CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1940 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1940/population-volume-1/33973538v1ch09.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br>
1950<ref name=1950CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1950 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1950/population-volume-1/vol-01-46.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1960<ref name=1960CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1960 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1960/population-volume-1/33255142v1p45ch02.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1970<ref name=1970CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1970 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/prod2/decennial/documents/00496492v1p45s1ch02.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 1980<ref name=1980CensusTX>{{Cite web|title= 1980 Census of Population - Number of Inhabitants - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1980/volume-1/texas/1980a_txab-01.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 1990<ref name=1990CensusTX>{{Cite web|title=1990 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/1990/cph-2/cph-2-45.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref> 2000<ref name=2000CensusTX>{{Cite web|title=2000 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/2003/dec/phc-3-45.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref><br> 2010<ref name=2010CensusTX>{{Cite web|title=2010 Census of Population - Population and Housing Unit Counts - Texas |url=https://www2.census.gov/library/publications/decennial/2010/cph-2/cph-2-45.pdf|website=[[United States Census Bureau]]}}</ref>
}}

===2020 census===

{| class="wikitable"
|+'''Fort Hancock racial composition'''<ref>{{Cite web |title=Explore Census Data |url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?g=1600000US4826724&tid=DECENNIALPL2020.P2 |access-date=2022-05-19 |website=data.census.gov}}</ref><br /> (''NH = Non-Hispanic''){{efn|Note: the US Census treats Hispanic/Latino as an ethnic category. This table excludes Latinos from the racial categories and assigns them to a separate category. Hispanics/Latinos can be of any race.<ref>{{cite web |title=About the Hispanic Population and its Origin |url=https://www.census.gov/topics/population/hispanic-origin/about.html |website=www.census.gov |access-date=18 May 2022}}</ref>}}
!Race
!Number
!Percentage
|-
|[[Non-Hispanic or Latino whites|White]] (NH)
|34
|3.23%
|-
|Some Other Race (NH)
|1
|0.1%
|-
|[[Multiracial Americans|Mixed/Multi-Racial]] (NH)
|1
|0.1%
|-
|[[Hispanic and Latino Americans|Hispanic or Latino]]
|1,016
|96.58%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''1,052'''
|
|}
As of the [[2020 United States census]], there were 1,052 people, 453 households, and 353 families residing in the CDP.

===2019===
As of the [[census]] of 2019, 1,213 people, 487 households, and 445 families resided in the CDP.<ref>{{Cite web|title=2019: ACS 5-Year Estimates Subject Tables|url=https://data.census.gov/cedsci/table?q=Fort%20Hancock%20CCD,%20Hudspeth%20County,%20Texas%20Families%20and%20Living%20Arrangements&tid=ACSST5Y2019.S1101}}</ref> The [[population density]] was 45.5 people/sq mi (17.6/km{{sup|2}}). The 579 housing units averaged 15.4/sq&nbsp;mi (5.9/km{{sup|2}}). The [[Race (United States Census)|racial makeup]] of the CDP was 94.51% White, 0.18% Native American, 4.03% from other races, and 1.28% from two or more races. Hispanics or Latinos of any race were 90.83% of the population.

Of the 486 households, 58.6% had children under 18 living with them, 66.7% were married couples living together, 14.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 16.5% were not families. About 15.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.52 and the average family size was 3.97.

In the CDP, the population was distributed as 39.3% under 18, 9.3% from 18 to 24, 27.1% from 25 to 44, 16.3% from 45 to 64, and 7.9% who were 65 or older. The median age was 26 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 90.3 males.

The median income for a household was $17,525, and for a family was $18,560. Males had a median income of $17,411 versus $13,281 for females. The [[per capita income]] for the CDP was $7,037. About 44.6% of families and 46.7% of the population were below the [[poverty line]], including 50.7% of those under age 18 and 57.6% of those age 65 or over.

==Education==
The community is served by the [[Fort Hancock Independent School District]], and high school students attend [[Fort Hancock High School]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.fhisd.net/campuses|title=Campuses - Fort Hancock Independent School District|website=www.fhisd.net|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref> The high school competes in [[six-man football]], and between 1986 and 1992, their team, the Mustangs, competed six times in the state championship, winning five (one streak lasted four years). The coach for the state-championship teams was Mr. Danny Medina, who is currently the principal of Fort Hancock Middle School. Mr. Jose Franco served as the team's assistant coach and is currently Fort Hancock ISD's Superintendent.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.sixmanfootball.com/archiveplayoff.htm |title=Sixmanfootball.com |access-date=September 2, 2007 |archive-date=September 27, 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927183441/http://www.sixmanfootball.com/archiveplayoff.htm |url-status=dead }}</ref>  Mustang Stadium in Fort Hancock has a capacity of 800.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://texasbob.com/stadium/stadium.php?id=594|title=TexasBob.com - Mustang Stadium - Fort Hancock , Texas|website=texasbob.com|language=en|access-date=2019-03-26}}</ref>

Hudspeth County is in the official service area of [[El Paso Community College]].<ref>[https://statutes.capitol.texas.gov/Docs/ED/htm/ED.130.htm Texas Education Code, Section 130.178, "El Paso County Community College District Service Area"].</ref>

==Notable person==
* [[Benito Martinez (soldier)|Benito Martinez]], who was born and raised in Fort Hancock, was awarded the [[Medal of Honor]] for his actions during the [[Korean War]].

==In popular culture==
In the 1994 film ''[[The Shawshank Redemption]]'', Ellis Boyd "Red" Redding crosses the U.S. border into Mexico at Fort Hancock to join his friend, Andy Dufresne, who earlier escaped from Shawshank Prison and fled to [[Zihuatanejo]] via Fort Hancock.<ref name="forthancock">{{cite news|title=Readers suggest the 10 best ... Greyhound bus moments|url=https://www.theguardian.com/culture/gallery/2014/may/09/readers-suggest-10-best-greyhound-bus-moments|work=The Guardian|date=May 9, 2014}}</ref>

== See also ==
{{Portal|Texas}}

==References==
{{Reflist|2}}
{{notelist}}
{{Commons category}}

{{Hudspeth County, Texas}}

{{authority control}}

[[Category:Census-designated places in Hudspeth County, Texas]]
[[Category:Census-designated places in Texas]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Hudspeth County, Texas]]
[[Category:Unincorporated communities in Texas]]
[[Category:Forts in Texas|Hancock]]
[[Category:1882 establishments in Texas]]