Fort Jones (Scott Valley, Siskiyou County, California)
Scott Valley, Siskiyou County · California · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Fort Jones was established as a 640-acre military post on the east side of the Scott River Valley, established by Major Edward H. Fitzgerald with Companies A and E of the 1st Dragoons to protect mining settlements from Native American depredations. Though standard military doctrine called for locating such posts near major stage routes such as Yreka, Fitzgerald chose instead a location sixteen miles to the southwest in what was then known as Beaver Valley, finding there superior resources and forage for animals.
The post served until June 23, 1858, when the garrison evacuated; it was briefly reoccupied in 1864 by California Volunteers, and the reservation was transferred to the Interior Department in 1870. Fort Jones served as a posting ground for officers of national prominence, including Union generals Phil Sheridan and George Crook, and Confederate leaders William Wing Loring, John B. Hood, and George Pickett.
Crook was stationed primarily at Fort Jones from 1853 to 1857, where he gained experience in frontier warfare that would shape his later command of Indian Wars operations in Arizona. The military post declined into disrepair after the Civil War and had largely disappeared by the twentieth century, though the town of Fort Jones perpetuated the fort's name.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Historic military post from 1852 gold rush era
- Strategically positioned in Scott Valley to support Army operations
- Named after Colonel Roger Jones, Army's Adjutant General
- Site now a California Historical Landmark
- Period structures and exhibits documenting Indian Wars frontier history
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jones,_California
- https://www.militarymuseum.org/FtJones.html
- https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/?page_id=21526
- https://grokipedia.com/page/George_Crook
- https://spartacus-educational.com/WWcrookG.htm