Camp Lincoln (Crescent City, California)
Crescent City · California · Civil War
History & Significance
Camp Lincoln, also known as Long's Camp, Fort Long, Lincoln's Fort, or Fort Lincoln, was a U.S. military post in Crescent City, California. Founded June 13, 1862, by Company G, 2nd Regiment, Infantry, California Volunteers, it aimed to maintain peace between the Tolowa tribe and the mining and settler population of northwestern California.
Tension escalated when the Tolowa faced forced resettlement and began taking vengeance on settlers who remained behind. After Fort Ter-Waw was destroyed by the Great Flood of 1862, Camp Lincoln initially occupied the Indian Agency headquarters near the city before relocating six miles north in September.
Major James F. Curtis moved the camp to a redwood clearing to observe stricter impartiality between settlers and Indians. Settlers burned crops and harassed the Tolowa, who were threatened with expulsion or death; approximately 500 Tolowa departed while 1,500 remained only because the Army promised to maintain peace.
After the Civil War, the Army could not afford to staff many small posts, and the camp was abandoned in June 1869 and closed for good in May 1870. The commanding officer's quarters and one barracks remained when the site was designated California Historical Landmark #545 in 1962.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Surviving Civil War-era barracks and commanding officer's quarters
- Gold Rush period settlement and Native American conflict history
- Tolowa tribe cultural significance in northwestern California frontier
- California Historical Landmark #545 designation
- Crescent City coastal location and regional Gold Rush heritage sites
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Camp_Lincoln_(California)
- https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21416
- https://www.militarymuseum.org/CpLincoln.html
- https://noehill.com/delnorte/cal0545.asp
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=176820