Fort Miller (Madera County, California)
Madera County · California · Indian Wars
History & Significance
The first post on the site was Camp Barbour, established for the use of the three-man commission delegated to negotiate treaties with Native Americans then in a state of armed rebellion, established on April 14, 1851 by elements of the Mariposa Battalion, and named for George W. Barbour, one of the three commissioners. Federal Indian commissioners negotiated and signed a treaty with many California tribes on April 29, 1851, which established the Fresno River Reservation, though the refusal of the Ahwahneechee and Chowchilla tribes to sign the treaty and relocate led to the Mariposa War.
The regular Army post was established by 2nd Lieutenant Treadwell Moore, 2nd Infantry, originally called Camp Miller and designated Fort Miller in 1852 in honor of Major Albert S. Miller, 2nd Infantry. Camp Miller consisted of 14 buildings of various sizes arranged around a parade ground.
Hostilities with the local tribes had receded by 1858 and the fort was evacuated of military personnel but left with all the buildings intact. The post was reoccupied in compliance with an order of Brigadier General George Wright, commander of the Department of California, on August 22, 1863. The Army abandoned the post on December 1, 1864, and auctioned off the buildings in 1866.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
Sources
- https://www.militarymuseum.org/FtMiller.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Miller,_California
- https://ohp.parks.ca.gov/ListedResources/Detail/584
- https://www.loc.gov/item/ca0163/
- https://www.loc.gov/item/ca0165/