Fort Simcoe (Yakima County, Washington)
Yakima County · Washington · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Fort Simcoe was established at the foot of the Simcoe Mountains about 30 miles west of present-day Toppenish in Yakima County. The site lay on a trail between the Yakima Valley and the Yakama Tribe's traditional fishing areas on the Columbia River; the Yakama had historically called it Mool-Mool or bubbling water, and the name Simcoe came from the Sahaptin word meaning a saddle-like dip in a hill.
By fall 1856, soldiers and quartermaster employees had erected blockhouses and four barracks buildings; officers received cabins in December, and the fort eventually consisted of four officers' homes at the parade ground's upper end with barracks and stables at the lower end. The post was constructed as part of Colonel Wright's campaign to quell the Yakama rising, with construction underway by August 17 to house four companies.
In October 1858, commander Captain James J. Archer hanged two Yakamas implicated in the killing of Indian Agent Andrew J. Bolon in 1855, an act that had helped precipitate the Yakima War. On April 17, 1859, soldiers received orders to depart; two companies marched to Colville to protect surveyors mapping the Canada–U.S. boundary.
After Army abandonment in 1859, the 21 buildings were given to the Yakama Indian Agency as part of the federal Bureau of Indian Affairs, and a government-run boarding school was established. In 1860, Methodist missionary James Wilbur was hired to establish a school at Fort Simcoe.
Over subsequent decades most buildings deteriorated and were demolished; the school burned down in 1919 and dormitories were razed in 1950. In the 1950s the Mool-Mool Restoration Society was formed to advocate for preservation as a park, with historian Click Relander chairing the research committee from 1953. In 1953 the Yakama Nation granted a 99-year lease to Washington State Parks; in 1955 the agreement was renegotiated to expand the park area and extend the lease for serious restoration efforts.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- 1850s military outpost with restored original buildings
- Exhibits on Army operations and Native American history
- Grounds showcase period architecture and landscape design
- Interpretive displays address forced assimilation at predecessor school
Sources
- https://parks.wa.gov/509/Fort-Simcoe
- https://www.historylink.org/File/5292
- https://revisitwa.org/side_trip/fort-simcoe/
- https://www.historylink.org/File/23026
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Simcoe