Fort Crawford (Montrose County, Colorado)

Montrose County · Colorado · Indian Wars

Quick BriefFort Crawford, initially known as Cantonment at Uncompahgre, was a U.S. military post along the Uncompahgre River south of Montrose, established in response to the 1879 Meeker Massacre and operated from 1880 to 1890.

History & Significance

The Meeker Massacre on September 29, 1879—in which Chief Douglas and his band killed Indian agent Nathan Meeker and seven agency members—prompted white Colorado settlers and politicians to demand Ute removal. The Cantonment at Uncompahgre was established in July 1880 on the west bank of the Uncompahgre River to maintain order during treaty negotiations, when Colonel Ranald Mackenzie arrived with six cavalry companies and nine companies of infantry from Fort Garland.

The Utes were moved to a desolate Utah reservation the following year. The cantonment was officially recognized by President Chester Arthur as a permanent post in March 1884.

In December 1886, the post was renamed Fort Crawford in honor of Captain Emmet Crawford, a cavalry officer killed earlier that year while pursuing Geronimo's Apaches in Mexico. By 1885, the fort comprised a 4,500-square-foot headquarters building, four troop barracks, eight officer houses, and a commanding officer's home, along with hospital, guard house, and parade ground. The War Department ordered closure in May 1890, and the post closed in December that year, with lands opened to homesteaders.