Fort Churchill (1)

Fort Churchill (1861-1869) - The fort was named in honor of Sylvester Churchill, the Inspector General of the US Army. It was built as a permanent installation. Adobe buildings were erected on stone foundations in the form of a square, facing a central parade ground. Average strength of the post was 200.

Capt. Joseph Stewart and his Carson River Expedition were ordered to establish a post on the Carson River. Construction started 20 Jul 1860. Fort Churchill guarded the Pony Express run and other mail routes and hundreds of soldiers were based here between expeditions against the Indians.

The Civil War made the fort an important supply depot for the Nevada Military District, and a base for troops patrolling the overland routes.

The fort was abandoned in 1869, and the adobe buildings were auctioned for only $750. In 1884, the remains of solders buried in the post cemetery were moved to Carson City.

The State of Nevada took custody of 200 acres of the original military reservation on October 6, 1932. Nevada in turn deeded the land and buildings on April 30, 1934 to the Nevada Sagebrush DAR Chapter to hold in trust. On February 16, 1961, the title of Fort Churchill was reconveyed to the State of Nevada. The National Park Service made restoration plans, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) renovated what was left of this once proud fort. It was the CCC who build the Visitor Center.

The fort was again abandoned during WWII, falling victim to vandals and weather. Interest renewed in the '50s and the fort became a part of Nevada's State Park System in 1957. The buildings that remain are in ruins; others simply no longer exist, and only markers tell what structures once stood there. The Division of State Parks maintains these ruins in a state of arrested decay.

---

{"selectable":false,"width":"500"}

Location: Eight miles south of Silver Springs on Alt. U.S. 95, Lyon County, Nevada Maps & Images Lat: 39.2925 Long: -119.27056 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation:

Source:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 91-92
• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 92

Links:

• Nevada State Parks

Visited: No

Picture Gallery

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