Davis Mountains

▪ mountains, Texas, United States

      segment of the southern Rocky Mountains, mainly in Jeff Davis county, western Texas, U.S., extending northward for 45 miles (72 km) above the town of Marfa. Locally called the Texas Alps, the range has many peaks that exceed 7,000 feet (2,100 metres), the highest of which is Mount Livermore (8,382 feet [2,555 metres]; also called Mount Baldy, or Baldy Peak), the second highest point in Texas. The village of Fort Davis, at an elevation of 5,050 feet (1,539 metres) the highest community in Texas, is a tourist base for the scenic Davis Mountains State Park and Fort Davis National Historic Site. The latter, established in 1854 and named for Jefferson Davis (Davis, Jefferson), president of the Confederacy, was a key defense post against Comanche and Apache raids along the Overland Trail. At the peaks of Mount Locke and Mount Fowlkes are facilities operated by the University of Texas's McDonald Observatory.

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