The smallest of pioneer Milton Faver’s three forts, this location was the hub of his sheep and goat operations. The secluded Morita Fort is 50 minutes across the ranch from the Cibolo Headquarters. During the Civil War, traffic ceased along the westward immigration routes to California as the Apache and Comanches reasserted their control throughout the region. Faver lost a considerable portion of his livestock from raids but persisted until the Ninth U.S. Cavalry returned to Fort Davis in 1867. Despite their apparent subjugation, either Native Americans or bandits disguised as Indians attacked La Morita on July 30, 1875. The assailants massacred Faver’s brother-in-law, Carmen Ramirez, before taking Ramirez’s wife and two sons captive.

At his death, Faver transferred the 320 acres that included La Morita Spring to his wife, the former Francesca Ramirez, and niece, Juliana Ramirez de Dawson. The buildings at La Morita deteriorated over time, but the spring-fed orchard became a favored picnic spot for the townspeople of Shafter. By the early 1990s, all that remained was a one-room adobe house and the foundations of a more sizable structure (the Foundation turned out to be the remains of the old fort that subsequently was excavated and partly rebuilt). The Dawson family maintained control of the La Morita property until Hart M. Greenwood, Jr. purchased it on September 28, 1966. Upon acquisition by Cibolo Creek Ranch, major rehabilitation, restoration and construction efforts ensued from July 1991 to December 1993.