Camp Henderson
Encyclopedia
Camp Henderson was a military outpost in the District of Oregon
in 1864, built on Crooked Creek
about five miles from where it joins the Owyhee River
, 330 miles from Walla Walla
. The camp was located at the foot of cliffs on the east side of the valley south of an historical marker located along the highway (Oregon 78, U.S. 95) about six miles east of Burns Junction, Oregon
.
A detachment of the 1st Oregon Cavalry
Regiment established the camp in mid spring 1864, and named it after James Henry Dickey Henderson
, one of Oregon's first congressmen. This camp, near the mouth of Jordan Creek
, was the center of operations for the Snake War
in Southeastern Oregon for some time afterward.
Camp Henderson was abandoned March 25, 1866, leaving no trace of it today except for the names of soldiers that carved their names into the cliffs behind the camp.
District of Oregon (military)
The District of Oregon was a Union Army command department formed during the American Civil War. The district was part of the independent Department of the Pacific reconstituted by consolidating the Departments of California and Oregon, which was created on January 15, 1861 when the Army was...
in 1864, built on Crooked Creek
Crooked Creek (Oregon)
Crooked Creek is a tributary of the Owyhee River in the U.S. state of Oregon. The source of Crooked Creek is at an elevation of at Crooked Creek Spring, while the mouth is at an elevation of near Rome. Crooked Creek has a watershed....
about five miles from where it joins the Owyhee River
Owyhee River
The Owyhee River is a tributary of the Snake River located in northern Nevada, southwestern Idaho and southeastern Oregon in the United States. It is long. The river's drainage basin is in area, one of the largest subbasins of the Columbia Basin...
, 330 miles from Walla Walla
Walla Walla
Walla Walla can refer to:*Walla Walla people, a Native American tribe after which the county and city of Walla Walla, Washington, are named-Places:Washington state, United States*Walla Walla River, the river along which the Walla Walla tribe lived...
. The camp was located at the foot of cliffs on the east side of the valley south of an historical marker located along the highway (Oregon 78, U.S. 95) about six miles east of Burns Junction, Oregon
Burns Junction, Oregon
Burns Junction is a highway junction and unincorporated locale in Malheur County, Oregon, United States. Burns Junction lies at the intersection of U.S. Route 95 and Oregon Route 78, about southeast of the Harney County city of Burns....
.
A detachment of the 1st Oregon Cavalry
1st Oregon Cavalry
The First Regiment, Oregon Cavalry was a regiment in the volunteer Union army that participated in the American Civil War. With many men recruited from California, the regiment primarily served to protect the state of Oregon and surrounding territories in the Pacific Coast Theater of the American...
Regiment established the camp in mid spring 1864, and named it after James Henry Dickey Henderson
James Henry Dickey Henderson
James Henry Dickey Henderson was an American farmer and politician from the state of Oregon. A native of Kentucky, he lived in Missouri and Pennsylvania before moving to the Oregon Territory in 1852...
, one of Oregon's first congressmen. This camp, near the mouth of Jordan Creek
Jordan Creek (Owyhee River)
Jordan Creek is a tributary of the Owyhee River in the northwestern United States. It flows generally west from near Silver City, Idaho, in the Owyhee Mountains to near Rome in the Oregon High Desert. Major tributaries are Big Boulder, Soda, Louse, Spring, Rock, Meadow, Combination, and Louisa...
, was the center of operations for the Snake War
Snake War
The Snake War was a war fought by the United States of America against the "Snake Indians", the settlers' term for Northern Paiute, Bannock and western Shoshone bands who lived along the Snake River. Fighting took place in the states of Oregon, Nevada, and California, and in Idaho Territory...
in Southeastern Oregon for some time afterward.
Camp Henderson was abandoned March 25, 1866, leaving no trace of it today except for the names of soldiers that carved their names into the cliffs behind the camp.