Fort Gibbon
Fort Gibbon (1899-1923) - A U.S. Army Fort established in 1899 during the Alaska Gold Rush in present day Tanana, Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska. Named in G.O. 104, 7 Jun 1899, for Brigadier General John Gibbon (Cullum 1350), commander of the Department of Alaska, who died 6 Feb 1896. Abandoned in 1923.
Fort Gibbon History
Established during the Alaska Gold Rush in 25 Jul 1899 by Captain Charles A. Booth (Cullum 2439) and companies E and F, 7th U.S. Infantry. The post served as the headquarters of the Department of Alaska until 1923. The town of Tanana served as a cargo transfer point between large cargo ships and river transports going up the Yukon and Tanana River. The post came to be involved as a station on the Alaska telegraph system and later as a wireless station.
On 21 Nov 1903 a fire destroyed all the military quarters and the supply buildings on the post. Another fire on 7 Mar 1916 destroyed the main barracks and ammunition houses at Fort Gibbon and killed three soldiers of company B, 14th U.S. Infantry.
The post was abandoned in February 1923.
Current Status
Tanana, Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1410629
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Location: Tanana, Yukon-Koyukuk, Alaska. Map point may not be accurate. Maps & Images Lat: 65.1719444 Long: -152.0788889 |
Sources:
- 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 21-22
Links:
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