Fort Spokane (2)

Fort Spokane (2) (1882-1899) - Established as Camp Spokane in the fall of 1880 by Lt. Colonel Henry Clay Merriam and renamed Fort Spokane early in 1882. The fort was turned over to the Coleville Indian Agency in 1898.

Fort Spokane Front Gate	Fort Spokane Guardhouse and Visitor Center
Fort Spokane Magazine	Fort Spokane Quartermaster Stable
Junction of the Columbia River and the Spokane River at Fort Spokane. Fort Spokane is on the south side of the Spokane River Mouth

Fort Spokane (2) History

Fort Spokane was the last army frontier post established in the Northwest. In 1884 there were about 25 buildings, including six barracks, a schoolroom, an ice house and and a two-story administrative building topped with a glass-sided cupola. Eventually there were about 50 buildings on the post including enlisted mens barracks, officers' quarters, a chapel and a hospital.

The fort was strategically located at the convergence of the Columbia River and the Spokane River about 50 mile northeast of the city of Spokane. The post served to consolidate older posts like Fort Colville closer to the population areas. When the Spanish American War broke out in 1898 the troops at Fort Spokane were moved elsewhere and the fort was turned over to the Coleville Indian Agency. In 1899 the post became a school for Indian children and later a tuberculosis sanatorium. The site was no longer used by the government in 1929.

Current Status

Fort Spokane Quartermaster Stable Interior

The National Park Service took over the site in 1960 with only four original buildings remaining from the fort. These four buildings and the site have been preserved and are now part of the Park Service’s Lake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. The restoration has saved the 1884 stable, the 1888 powder magazine, the 1889 reservoir and the 1892 guard house.

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Location: 24 Miles north of Davenport, Washington, on State Route 25 in Lincoln County, Washington. Maps & Images Lat: 47.904762 Long: -118.304557 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 1400'

Sources:

• 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 836

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Spokane
• History Link - Fort Spokane
• Fort Spokane
• National Park Service

Visited: 13 May 2010

Fort Spokane (2) Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!

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  Fort Spokane Bachelor Officer Quarters Foundation
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  Fort Spokane Hospital Foundation Remains