The name means Lipan land. Lipan Apaches camped here on the west bank of the Nueces, and after they left the area the campground served missionaries, soldiers and traders moving between Mexico and the Texas settlements. The Lipan Apache Tribe of Texas, recognized by the state, keeps its tribal office in McAllen.
Mexican authorities built a makeshift fort at the campsite in the late 1820s; the Texas Historical Commission dates its picket fort to 1831, raised in anticipation of Anglo immigration. John J. Linn described it as a single earth embankment lined with fence rails, fit perhaps for a second-rate hog pen. Between 80 and 125 soldiers of the Second Active Cavalry Company of Tamaulipas collected customs and guarded San Patricio, the Irish and Mexican colony about three miles south. In October 1835, after Texans seized the presidio at Goliad, Lipantitlán was the last Mexican garrison on the coast and the link between the interior and General Cos at Bexar. Philip Dimmitt sent Ira Westover with about thirty-five men, and James Power, John Linn and James Kerr rode along; the expedition grew on the way through Refugio. Its loss left Mexican troops at Bexar reachable only overland.
There is nothing to see but the ground and a marker. The site has no interpretation and no services, and it is free and open daily. Come for the quiet bend of the Nueces and the name.
The closest stops worth working into your route
Roadside plaques and monuments within a short detour