Category:Fort Yamhill: Difference between revisions

Revision as of 06:31, 28 July 2006

Fort Yamhill Blockhouse, Dayton, Oregon 2005

Fort Yamhill (1855-1866) Established during the Rogue River Indian War to watch over Indian tribes relocated from southern Oregon. The fort was sited and construction begun by Lt. William B. Hazen in the winter of 1855-56. The site chosen overlooked the Grand Ronde Indian Agency and the relocated tribes. The fort was position just west of a demarcation line drawn earlier to separate the settlers and the Indians and along the military road to the coast so access could be controlled. Civil War General Philip H. Sheridan, then a 2nd Lieutenant, relieved Lt. Hazen at Fort Yamhill early in 1856 and supervised the completion of the fort. Sheridan remained at the fort until the outbreak of the U.S. Civil War in 1861.

At its peak, Fort Yamhill housed two or three companies for a total of about 250 men. Two similar outposts were created to watch over Indian agencies: Fort Hoskins in Benton County, and Fort Umpqua in Southern Oregon. Fort Yamhill was abandoned and disassembled in 1866. The buildings were auctioned off and the land sold to private interests on 27 Aug 1866. The blockhouse was removed in 1911 and now resides in Dayton City Park, Dayton, Oregon.

The remains of the fort were recently rediscovered and preparations are underway to open a 55 acre Fort Yamhill State Heritage site (probably late summer 2006). The remains of a single building, thought to be Lt. Sheridan's quarters, survived on the site but were moved and later incorporated into another building. That building is currently being restored to the original configuration and will be moved back to the original location on officers row. It is unclear if the original blockhouse, now in Dayton, will be restored to the original location. A 1991 survey revealed the location of at least 24 major buildings that once occupied the site including: