Pipe Spring Fort
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HistoryIn 1863, Dr. James M. Whitmore and his brother-in-law Robert Mclntyre established a cattle ranch in Pipe Spring, Arizona. Both men were later massacred by a band of hostile Navajos during the winter of 1865-66. After the massacre, the Mormons acquired the spring and adjoining land. The Church then sent Bishop Anson P. Winsor to build a fort and care for the Church's tithing cattle. Construction of the fort began first with the building of two single-story buildings to be used as living quarters while the main fort was being built. In the fall of 1869, a crew of thirty to forty men started to work on the fort. Two two-story buildings were built facing each other across a courtyard. The buildings were connected by walls with massive swinging doors, large enough for the passage of wagons. The fort was finished by 1870. The north building was erected directly over the spring, and the water flowed through the south building, assuring a plentiful supply of good water at all times. The Winsors used two rooms in the fort as a cheese factory and shipped most of the dairy products to St. George, Utah. Beef steers were driven to this point and in the spring and fall to St. George and Salt Lake City. Bishop Winsor moved to St. George in 1875, and the property was sold to private parties for use as a cattle ranch. The fort and auxiliary buildings were later acquired by the federal government. In May 1923 Pipe Spring National Monument was established. Current StatusPart of Pipe Spring National Monument. Four of the original buildings remain.
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