Fort Humboldt
Fort Humboldt (1853-1866) - Established 30 Jan 1853 during the California Gold Rush by Captain Robert C. Buchanan, 4th U.S. Infantry, and named after Humboldt Bay. Abandoned 14 Sep 1867.
Fort Humboldt History
Established on a 35 foot high bluff overlooking Humholdt Bay at present day Eureka, California to provide protection from hostile Indians. The post was also a supply depot for other posts in northern California including Fort Bragg. Capt. Ulysses S. Grant, 4th U.S. Infantry was stationed here in 1854 as a company commander and subsequently resigned his commission here.
In 1866 the garrison was reduced to a single company of artillery. The post was maintained primarily to provide supplies to Fort Gaston. On 14 Sep 1867 it was reported that the last company had been withdrawn and the post abandoned. The military reservation was transferred to the Department of Interior 6 Apr 1870.
Current Status
Fort Humboldt California State Historic Park. Only the hospital building remains out of the original fourteen buildings and it is now a historical museum. The Surgeon’s Quarters was reconstructed in the 1980s and in 2001 a historic garden was recreated next to the hospital.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1702454
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Location: Humboldt Bay at Eureka, Humboldt County, California. Maps & Images Lat: 40.776944 Long: -124.188889 |
Sources:
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 26
- Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 24
- 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 70-71
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Humboldt
- California Military Museum - Fort Humboldt
- Wikipedia - Fort Humboldt
- California State Historic park
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