Fort Colville

Fort Colville (1859-1882) - A U.S. Army fort established in 1859 about 15 miles to the east of the 1826 Hudson's Bay Company Fort Colvile. The post was originally known as Harney's Depot and then Camp Colville before becoming Fort Colville. Fort Colville drawing, 1867 (University of Washington Archive History The U.S. Army responded to the request for a post in the vicinity of HBC's Fort Colvile to monitor the border and help prevent trouble between settlers, miners, and Indians. At the orders of Brigadier General William S. Harney, Two companies of the 9th U.S. Infantry, under the command of Major Pinkney Lugenbeel, arrived in the spring of 1859 to begin construction of Fort Colville. The post was located about three miles east of the present town of Colville. Within four years, it had grown to some forty-five buildings. A major activity of the garrison in the pre-civil war years was the support of the U. S. Northwest Boundary Survey team which was tasked with detailing the US-Canada land border in the Northwest. Survey team personnel arrived at the fort on 3 Dec 1859 but found their quarters not completed and they were forced to live in tents in −22 °F weather until their quarters were completed. The team spent two years (1860-1861) surveying and cutting the border along the 49th parallel to the Rocky Mountains. In addition to logistical support, the fort provided a detachment of troops for support and security. By March of 1860, the post-returns show four companies of the 9th U.S. Infantry at the fort with some 288 enlisted men and 13 officers. U.S. Civil War (1861-1865) Closure The post was abandoned on 1 Nov 1882 and transferred to the Interior Department on 26 Feb 1887, for disposition. Fort Colville Partial Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 1859-06-20 1861-11-18 Bvt. Major Lugenbeel, Pinkney 1044 9th U.S. Infantry 1861-11-18 1862-06 Major Curtis, James F. N/A 2nd California Volunteer Infantry 1862-07 1864-08 Major Rumsill, C. H. N/A 1st Washington Volunteer Infantry 1864-09 1865-03 Captain Glasure, J.A. N/A 1st Washington Volunteer Infantry 1868-12 1869-07 Captain Browning, George L. N/A 23rd U.S. Infantry 1869-11 1871-01 Captain Egan, John 1982 23rd U.S. Infantry 1871-04 1872-05 Captain Wheaton, Charles N/A 23rd U.S. Infantry 1872-06 1875-04 Captain Miles, Evan N/A 21st U.S. Infantry 1875-05 1877-04 Captain Harris, Moses N/A 1st U.S. Cavalry Medal of Honor 1880-10-31 1882-08-12 Lt Colonel Merriam, Henry C. N/A 2nd U.S. Infantry Medal of Honor Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Current Status No visible remains. A Fort Colville Historical Monument at 297 Aladdin Rd, Colville, WA 99114(see coordinates) {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: Located on Mill Creek a few miles north of Colville, Stevens County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 48.57152 Long: -117.88389 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1940' GPS Locations: 48.57152, -117.88389 Fort Colville Site 48.572320, -117.878996 Fort Colville Marker Sources: Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 183 Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 172-173 Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 831 Links: North American Forts - Fort Colville History Link - Fort Colville Wikipedia - Fort Colville Post returns available Jun 1849 - Sep 1882 at Ancestry.com (by Subscription) Publications: Converse, George L., A Military History of the Columbia Valley: 1848-1865, Pioneer Press Books, Walla Walla, Washington, 1988, ISBN 0-936546-16-6 Visited: 14 May 2010