Fort McDermit
Encyclopedia
Fort McDermit was an American
fort in Nevada
. It was established on August 14, 1865, by Captain J. C. Doughty, of Company I of the 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
, on orders of Lt. Col. Charles McDermit, Commander, Military District Nevada, as the Quinn River Camp No. 33. It was located near Quinn River Station on the East Fork of the Quinn River
.
Attacks on white settlements in the early part of the Snake War
prompted the District of Utah
to establish a detachment at the stagecoach
station called Quinn (or Queen) River Station. The Volunteer Cavalry detachment was there in order to protect the stagecoach line that ran between Winnemucca, Nevada
and Silver City, Idaho
Territory. McDermit's death in an ambush on August 7, 1865 along the Quinn River near the station and the continuing unrest, provoked the establishment a stronger force and the fort was named in his honor.
Fort McDermit was intended to hold a garrison of two companies one of cavalry and one of infantry. It was built around a rectangular parade ground measuring 600' x 285'. Its permanent structures were first erected in 1866 and 1867 and consisted of three buildings for officers, a large barracks
, a three-room hospital, storehouses (for supplies to keep the fort running for 6 months) and stables all surrounding a square. All of the post buildings were one story with shingle roofs built of adobe
, stone or frame construction. Additional frame structures were added in the late 1870s. The post was expanded on September 3, 1867 to be two miles square with a two-mile-wide hay reserve extending along each side of the Quinn river for five miles. On October 4, 1870, this hay reserve was extended further up and down the river bringing the total to 10,374 acres.
Fort McDermit's purpose was to protect the stage route and wagon road from Virginia City
through Star City, Nevada
, in the Quinn River Valley, to Boise City, Idaho. It was the longest active Army fort in Nevada, lasting twenty four years. Its troops participated in operations against the Bannock
and Shoshone
Indians, and in the Snake War, Bannock War
and the Modoc War
. On July 24, 1889, as the last of the Nevada Army posts in service, it was turned over to the Indian Service and converted into an Indian reservation school on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
fort in Nevada
Nevada
Nevada is a state in the western, mountain west, and southwestern regions of the United States. With an area of and a population of about 2.7 million, it is the 7th-largest and 35th-most populous state. Over two-thirds of Nevada's people live in the Las Vegas metropolitan area, which contains its...
. It was established on August 14, 1865, by Captain J. C. Doughty, of Company I of the 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry
The 2nd Regiment California Volunteer Cavalry was a cavalry regiment in the Union Army during the American Civil War. It spent its entire term of service in the western United States, with most of its companies dispersed to various posts.-History:...
, on orders of Lt. Col. Charles McDermit, Commander, Military District Nevada, as the Quinn River Camp No. 33. It was located near Quinn River Station on the East Fork of the Quinn River
Quinn River
The Quinn River, once known as the Queen River, is an intermittent river, approximately long, in the desert of northwestern Nevada in the United States. It drains an enclosed basin inside the larger Great Basin....
.
Attacks on white settlements in the early part of 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...
prompted the District of Utah
District of Utah
During the American Civil War, the District of Utah was a subordinate district of the Army's Department of the Pacific.On August 6, 1862, the Department of the Pacific absorbed the District of Utah, the territory of the former Department of Utah which had been discontinued on July 3, 1861; the...
to establish a detachment at the stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
station called Quinn (or Queen) River Station. The Volunteer Cavalry detachment was there in order to protect the stagecoach line that ran between Winnemucca, Nevada
Winnemucca, Nevada
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 7,174 people, 2,736 households, and 1,824 families residing in the city. The population density was 867.5 people per square mile . There were 3,280 housing units at an average density of 396.6 per square mile...
and Silver City, Idaho
Silver City, Idaho
Silver City is a ghost town in Owyhee County, Idaho, United States. At its height in the 1880s it was a gold and silver mining town with a population of around 2,500 and approximately 75 businesses. Silver City served as county seat of Owyhee County from 1867 to 1934. Today, the town has about 70...
Territory. McDermit's death in an ambush on August 7, 1865 along the Quinn River near the station and the continuing unrest, provoked the establishment a stronger force and the fort was named in his honor.
Fort McDermit was intended to hold a garrison of two companies one of cavalry and one of infantry. It was built around a rectangular parade ground measuring 600' x 285'. Its permanent structures were first erected in 1866 and 1867 and consisted of three buildings for officers, a large barracks
Barracks
Barracks are specialised buildings for permanent military accommodation; the word may apply to separate housing blocks or to complete complexes. Their main object is to separate soldiers from the civilian population and reinforce discipline, training and esprit de corps. They were sometimes called...
, a three-room hospital, storehouses (for supplies to keep the fort running for 6 months) and stables all surrounding a square. All of the post buildings were one story with shingle roofs built of adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
, stone or frame construction. Additional frame structures were added in the late 1870s. The post was expanded on September 3, 1867 to be two miles square with a two-mile-wide hay reserve extending along each side of the Quinn river for five miles. On October 4, 1870, this hay reserve was extended further up and down the river bringing the total to 10,374 acres.
Fort McDermit's purpose was to protect the stage route and wagon road from Virginia City
Virginia City
Virginia City is a city located in Storey County, Nevada.Virginia City may also refer to:* Virginia City, Montana* Virginia City, Nevada* Virginia City, Virginia* Virginia City , a 1940 film starring Errol Flynn...
through Star City, Nevada
Star City, Nevada
Star City was a silver-mining boom town in Pershing County, Nevada. It was located in the Star Mining District.The site is marked as Nevada Historical Marker 231.-History:...
, in the Quinn River Valley, to Boise City, Idaho. It was the longest active Army fort in Nevada, lasting twenty four years. Its troops participated in operations against the Bannock
Bannock (tribe)
The Bannock tribe of the Northern Paiute are an indigenous people of the Great Basin. Their traditional lands include southeastern Oregon, southeastern Idaho, western Wyoming, and southwestern Montana...
and Shoshone
Shoshone
The Shoshone or Shoshoni are a Native American tribe in the United States with three large divisions: the Northern, the Western and the Eastern....
Indians, and in the Snake War, Bannock War
Bannock War
The Bannock War was a series of conflicts in 1878 between various Bannock, Northern Shoshone and Paiute tribes against the United States.- Background :...
and the Modoc War
Modoc War
The Modoc War, or Modoc Campaign , was an armed conflict between the Native American Modoc tribe and the United States Army in southern Oregon and northern California from 1872–1873. The Modoc War was the last of the Indian Wars to occur in California or Oregon...
. On July 24, 1889, as the last of the Nevada Army posts in service, it was turned over to the Indian Service and converted into an Indian reservation school on the Fort McDermitt Indian Reservation.