Fort Churchill, Nevada by Zina Abbott

 

Nevada has been known for many reasons, but not for having an abundance of frontier forts. It had one notable military fort: Fort Churchill.

First, as part of Utah Territory (Nevada became its own territory on March 2, 1861 and a state on October 31, 1864), much of the California Trail crossed what is now modern-day Nevada.

Second, starting in the 1850s, the mountains just east of the Sierra Nevada Mountain range became a destination in and of themselves due to the discovery of gold and silver. The Comstock Lode in the Virginia Mountains discovered in 1859, the first major discovery of silver in the United States, drew fortune-seekers from all over.

 

Third, the American Civil War, even though most battles took place in the Eastern states, also caused issues in Nevada.

Two battles with the Northern Paiute tribe in May and June of 1860 prompted the federal government to appoint Captain Joseph Stewart to establish a military outpost near the Carson River. It is located east of Carson City and about twenty-five miles southeast of the territory’s largest city at the time, Virginia City. The largest and most elaborate post built in the Nevada Territory, it overlooks the river through the big cottonwood trees ten miles south of Silver Springs.

Buckland Station

The fort was built adjacent to Buckland Station, a stagecoach station established by Samuel Buckland in the 1859. During 1860-61, Buckland Station also served as a Pony Express station.

 Completed in 1861, Fort Churchill—named after Sylvester Churchill, an Inspector General for the Army—was built to provide protection for this section of the Pony Express, protection from Native Americans attempting to reclaim their territory, maintain the telegraph lines, quell any skirmishes resulting from the Civil War, as well as those who either lived in or passed through western Nevada. The fort also doubled as a supply depot for the Union Army.

 

Volunteer soldiers who served at the fort came from Carson City, Lake’s Crossing—which was renamed Reno in 1868, Virginia City, and Dayton. It is believed the fort housed an average of 200 at any given time.

After the fort was abandoned in 1869, the state of Nevada declined to take ownership. The fort’s buildings were auctioned off for $750. Nothing was done with the remaining structures, so they stayed in place, subject to time and weather.

In 1885, the bodies of forty-four soldiers who died and were buried while at Fort Churchill were exhumed and moved to  Carson City’s Lone Mountain Cemetery in the Grand Army of the Republic section. All but two had originally been buried in wooden coffins. The only man identified was the fort’s commanding officer, Charles McDermit. Therefore, the headstones of the other forty-three read U.S. Soldier. Most of the deaths occurred between 1863 and 1866.

Remains of Fort Churchill

In 1932, the National Park Service took control of the property. The NPS began restoration efforts and built a visitors center. In 1957, Fort Churchill became a Nevada State Park.

 

Fort Churchill would have been an active fort during the time in which my Prairie Roses Collection book, Lucy, was set. It would have been all but abandoned at the time of Sue, my most recent book in the series.

To find the book description and purchase options for Sue please CLICK HERE

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.inkedwithwanderlust.com/nevada/fortchurchill

https://www.nevadaappeal.com/news/2022/may/04/forgotten-soldiers-tribute-honors-fort-churchills-/

https://mynews4.com/news/knowing-nevada/knowing-nevada-fort-churchill-and-the-battles-of-pyramid-lake

https://www.ancestry.com/historical-insights/war-military/civil-war/nevada-civil-war

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Churchill_State_Historic_Park