Fort McDowell (1)

Fort McDowell

Fort McDowell (1) (1863-1946) - Established 12 Sep 1863 during the U.S. Civil War under the supervision of Col. Rene De Russey, U.S. Army Engineers as Camp Reynolds named after Maj. Gen. John Reynolds. Name was changed to Fort McDowell in 1900 after Gen. Irvin McDowell in 1900. Abandoned by the Army in 1946.

Fort McDowell (1) History

Camp Reynolds was established on Angel Island in 1863 during the U.S. Civil War to defend San Francisco harbor. In 1900 Fort McDowell was established on the east side of Angel Island.

Three batteries were constructed:

• Battery Point Stuart (1863-18??)
• Battery Point Knox (1863-18??)
• Battery Point Blunt (1865-1866)

In 1898 two more batteries were constructed:

• Battery Drew (1898-1915)
• Battery Knox Point (1898-1900)

In 1901 two more batteries were constructed:

• Battery Wallace (1901-1915)
• Battery Ledyard (1901-1915)

During World War II two batteries were established:

• Battery Blunt (?)
• Battery Knox (?)

Current Status

The island was declared a California State Park in 1963 and was opened to the public. Historic buildings at Camp Reynolds and Fort McDowell still stand and a restored officer's quarters is open to the public.

---

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

Location: Angel Island, San Francisco, California Maps & Images Lat: 37.86278 Long: -122.42167 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 33'

Sources:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 32-33
• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 25-26

Links:

• California Military Museum
• Official State Site

Visited: No

Fort McDowell (1) Picture Gallery

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