Fort Colville drawing, 1867 (University of Washington Archive
History
The U.S. Army responded to the request for a post in the vicinity of HBC's Fort Colvile to monitor the border and help prevent trouble between settlers, miners, and Indians. At the orders of Brigadier General William S. Harney, Two companies of the 9th U.S. Infantry, under the command of Major Pinkney Lugenbeel, arrived in the spring of 1859 to begin construction of Fort Colville. The post was located about three miles east of the present town of Colville. Within four years, it had grown to some forty-five buildings.
A major activity of the garrison in the pre-civil war years was the support of the U. S. Northwest Boundary Survey team which was tasked with detailing the US-Canada land border in the Northwest. Survey team personnel arrived at the fort on 3 Dec 1859 but found their quarters not completed and they were forced to live in tents in −22 °F weather until their quarters were completed. The team spent two years (1860-1861) surveying and cutting the border along the 49th parallel to the Rocky Mountains. In addition to logistical support, the fort provided a detachment of troops to accompany the survey team for support and security.
By March of 1860, the post-returns show four companies of the 9th U.S. Infantry at the fort with some 288 enlisted men and 13 officers.
This Garrison which consisted of Companies "A" and "C" 9th Infantry under the command of Brevet Major Pinkney Lugenbeel and relieved on the 18 November inst by Companies "C" and "D" 2nd Inf C.V. under command of Major J. F. Curtis in accordance with special order US 44, Headquarters Dist of Oregon. signed John F. Curtis, Major 2nd Infty Cal Vol
Closure
The post was abandoned on 1 Nov 1882 and transferred to the Interior Department on 26 Feb 1887, for disposition.
Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy.
Current Status
No visible remains. A Fort Colville Historical Monument at 297 Aladdin Rd, Colville, WA 99114(see coordinates)
Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 172-173
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 831
