Fort Colville (Colville, Washington)
Colville · Washington · Indian Wars
History & Significance
The fort's establishment in 1859 came on the heels of Colonel Edward Steptoe's defeat by Indians near present Rosalia and the subsequent victories of Colonel George Wright in the battles of Four Lakes and Spokane Plains during the Indian War of 1858. Brevet Major Pinkney Lugenbeel of the 9th Infantry Regiment arrived to establish the post, which was designed to restrain Native Americans lately hostile to the U.S. Army's Northwest Division and protect miners who flooded into the area after reports of gold appeared in 1855.
The fort also served as headquarters and provided escorts for the American contingent of the International Boundary Commission charged with locating and marking the 49th parallel as the boundary with Canada. Lugenbeel's command arrived from Fort Walla Walla on June 20, 1859, and a small town, Pinkney City, developed outside the post, becoming the original Spokane County seat in 1860 and remaining the Stevens County seat after the county merger in 1864.
The Civil War brought upheaval: officers swearing allegiance to the Union were transferred to Civil War duty, Southern sympathizers were discharged, and the unruly 2nd California Voluntary Infantry, largely criminals from San Francisco's streets, replaced the enlisted regulars. Beginning in 1872, with establishment of the Colville Reservation, the garrison's main duty was to move Indians onto the reservation. Fort Colville closed in 1882, and nine months later Commanding General William Tecumseh Sherman visited in August 1883 during a tour of Army posts in the west.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- 1929 monument commemorating the fort's 23-year operation
- Historic military post from Indian Wars and Civil War era
- Site protecting settlers and miners in Washington Territory
- Regional landmark showcasing late 19th-century frontier military history
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Colville
- https://www.historylink.org/File/7992
- https://stevenscountyhistoricalsociety.org/
- https://stevenscountyhistoricalsociety.org/about-us/