Fort Spokane | |
 Fort Spokane entrance in 2012 | |
| Location | Lincoln County,Washington |
|---|---|
| Nearest city | Deer Meadows, Washington |
| Coordinates | 47°54′47″N118°18′22″W / 47.91306°N 118.30611°W /47.91306; -118.30611 |
| Built | 1880; 145 years ago (1880) |
| NRHP reference No. | 88002621[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 23, 1988 |
Fort Spokane was a frontieroutpost in thenorthwest United States, located inLincoln County,Washington, approximately fifty miles (80 km) west-northwest ofSpokane. At the confluence of theColumbia andSpokane rivers, theU.S. Army post was used to separate theColville andSpokane tribes on their reservations from the newly established city of Spokane. The fort was last used in 1929 and was later incorporated into theLake Roosevelt National Recreation Area and is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.[2]
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The U.S. Army stationed troops atWhite Bluffs on theColumbia River, at Foster Creek on theOkanogan River, and atSpokane Falls to manage potential unrest amongst theColville,Spokane, andPalouse peoples. The troops at White Bluffs and Foster Creek were moved to a post south ofLake Chelan in 1878, closer toChief Moses. Difficult to supply, Camp Chelan was abandoned and the troops moved to a new site, Camp Spokane. After theColville Reservation was established in 1872, and theSpokane Reservation in 1881, the US Army assumed policing responsibilities until 1890.[3]
Fort Spokane was founded in the fall of 1880 byLt. Colonel Henry C. Merriam andSecond Infantry Regiment asCamp Spokane. It was renamed Fort Spokane in 1882. TheFourth Infantry Regiment took over in 1886, and theSixteenth Infantry Regiment in 1896.[3]: 13
Fort Spokane was strategically located at the convergence of theColumbia River and theSpokane River about fifty miles (80 km) west-northwest of the city ofSpokane, it was the last army frontier post established in the Northwest. In 1884, there were about 25 buildings, including six barracks, a schoolroom, an ice house and a two-story administrative building topped with a glass-sidedcupola. Eventually there were about 50 buildings built on the post which included officers' quarters, enlisted men's barracks, a hospital, chapel, post headquarters, morgue, quartermaster warehouses, shops, stables, and post trader store. The post served to consolidate older posts likeFort Colville closer to the population areas, and as a buffer between theIndian reservations and settlers in the area. When theSpanish–American War broke out in 1898 the troops at Fort Spokane were moved elsewhere and the fort was turned over to theColville Indian Agency. In 1899, the post became aboarding school for Indian children until 1914, when the post became atuberculosis sanatorium for the next 15 years. The site was abandoned by the government in 1929.[3]
TheNational Park Service took over the site in 1960 with only four original buildings remaining from the fort. Four buildings and the site have been preserved and are now part of the Park Service'sLake Roosevelt National Recreation Area. The restoration has saved the 1884 stable, the 1888 powder magazine, the 1889 reservoir and the 1892 guard house.[4][3]
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