Camp Polk (1) (1865-1866) - Established 28 Sep 1865 by Captain Charles La Follette and troops from Company A, 1st Oregon Infantry Volunteers and named for Polk County, Oregon. Abandoned 24 May 1866.
Camp Polk Preserve Kiosk
Camp Polk Sign
History
Camp Polk was established in Sep 1865 to protect the Santiam Wagon Road (Willamette Valley and Cascade Mountain Wagon Road) from Eastern Oregon to the Willamette Valley from hostile Indians. No attacks occurred and the fort was abandoned in May of 1866.
Current Status
Nothing remains of the camp but the general location is marked by an interpretive kiosk that explains the history of the Camp Polk Meadow and by a sign that explains the history of Camp Polk itself. The Camp Polk Cemetery is nearby but the earliest markers are from the 1880s and it would seem that the cemetery served the community of Camp Polk rather than the camp itself.
Location: Three miles northeast of Sisters, Deschutes County, Oregon. From Sisters turn north on S. Locust Road (Camp Polk Road) Drive 2.9 miles to the Camp Polk Road/ Wilt Road intersection- take a right on Camp Polk Road. Drive .4 miles and take a left onto a gravel road just after Cemetery Road. At top of the hill continue on the gravel road to the right. You will see the Preserve parking area and Informational kiosk on the right-hand side of the road. The marker on the map indicates the location of the Kiosk not the location of the camp.
Maps & Images
McArthur, Lewis A. & McArthur, Lewis L., Oregon Geographic Names, Oregon Historical Society Press; 7 edition (December 2003), 1073 pages, ISBN 0875952771, ISBN 978-0875952772, page 150
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 667
