'Fort Klamath' was a military outpost near the western end of the
Oregon Trail, between
Crater Lake National Park and
Upper Klamath Lake in
Klamath County,
Oregon,
United States. It was about a mile southeast of the present community of
Fort Klamath, Oregon.
History
Fort Klamath was established in 1863, and was an important Army post during conflicts with the
Klamath,
Modoc, and
Northern Paiute tribes. The fort consisted of more than 50 buildings, including a
sawmill. Four Modoc men, led by
Kintpuash, were executed there in 1873 for the killing of General
Edward Canby. Their graves remain at the fort.
A post office was opened in 1879. By the mid-1880s, the settlers in the area no longer needed protection, and in 1889 the decision was made to close the fort. After a harsh final winter with more than 20 feet of snow, the troops of Company I of the
14th Infantry Regiment left the fort on
June 23,
1890, and moved to Vancouver Barracks.
Museum
An eight-acre parcel within the fort area is maintained as a park and museum by Klamath County, Oregon. The Fort Klamath Museum is housed in a modern structure designed after the fort's guardhouse and standing in the original guardhouse location.
The Fort Klamath site was added to the
National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
[1]
See also
★
Modoc War
References
1. Register of Historic Places
External links
★
Klamath County Museums