Fort Spokane

Fort Spokane

Fort Spokane was the last of the frontier army posts in the Pacific Northwest. During its existence, Fort Spokane was considered to be the army's most important post in the Department of the Columbia. The Nez Perce War of 1877, the Bannock War of 1878, and the Sheepeater troubles of 1879 caused the army to send more troops to the Pacific Northwest to try to settle the tribes. Also, Colville and Spokane farmers were resisting moving to the Colville Reservation. John Simms, the Colville Indian Agent, requested troops to move these people by force. During 1878 some troops had been camped at White Bluffs on the Columbia River, at Foster Creek near the mouth of the Okanogan River, and at Spokane Falls. A company of infantry was still stationed at Fort Colville. Another factor for additional troops was that more and more white settlers were coming out to take advantage of the good grazing and orchard lands, sure to cause friction among the Indians.

Where would the new fort be? After the Nez Perce War those troops had been sent to Lake Coeur d'Alene to establish Fort Sherman, while others built a post at Lake Chelan. At first the new post at Lake Chelan was established as the new post. But it proved very difficult to supply. This was largely due to the fact that to get to the post, the Columbia had to be crossed at a very treacherous spot. The post was soon abandoned. The sawmill was dismantled and moved to the place that would become the new Camp Spokane. This new location was at the mouth of the Spokane River. It was thought to be a strategic location, partly because it was a popular meeting place for fur traders. It was three miles from the principal salmon fishery for Indians on the Spokane.

One incident occured on May 9, 1880, that was thought to have led to the location of Fort Spokane. According to an army scout, trouble arose between the Spokanes and whites in Spokane Falls. During the night, the well known chief, Spokane Garry, delivered two inflamatory speeches in the Indian camp despite the scout's efforts to quiet him. Fifty years earlier, Garry had been educated by the Hudson's Bay Company so that he might lead his people in the formation of a Christian and agricultural civilization. That hope and plan was now gone and he was very bitter. The whites sent for 100 rifles to arm a volunteer company and to be passed out to citizens. Rumors spread that Indians had been killed. This incident may have influenced the army's arrival at Camp Spokane.

Another factor was that it was just across the river from the southeast corner of the Colville Reservation. The proposed Spokane Indian Reservation was also just across the river. To the south was where settlers would probably be coming in. The fort would be in between them. Also the Northern Pacific Railroad reached as far as Sprague. That was only 55 miles from the fort. In the 1890s the Central Washington line was built out to Davenport so the railroad was just 27 miles away. So supply was not a problem. They also anticipated that steamer traffic would soon be using the Columbia.

Finally, Camp Spokane was established in the fall of 1880. Several companies of infantry and cavalry occupied the post. The only drawback was that hay and grain for horses were scarce so the cavalry often had to be stationed at Fort Colville where those things were plentiful. They lived in tents until the first log barracks were built. They hired civilians to build faster. Early in 1882 the president, formally set aside the site as a military reservation at Camp Spokane and changed the name to Fort Spokane. Major Leslie Smith was the commander.

By the summer of 1884 there were about 25 buildings, including six barracks, a schoolroom, and an icehouse. Eventually there were about 50 buildings on the post. There were enlisted mens barracks and officers' barracks, chapel, and a hospital.

The daily life at the fort was very much routine. Increased discipline, drills, and weekly inspections became part of the routine. Dress parades were held up to three times a week, except in winter. This new training was part of the reform of the army begun by General William Sherman in the late 1870s. He was inspired by the unexpected defeats at the battles of Little Big Horn and Big Hole in Montana. The standard uniform was a blue wool suit, cartridge belt, white gloves, rifle, helmet, and black square-toed boots. Even so, many of the men substituted their own clothing, especially socks and boots, for something more comfortable. Their officers did the same. Some jobs held by soldiers at the post included baker, blacksmith, post exchange attendant, kitchen police, and janitor. A man could get extra duty pay by helping build telegraph lines. They participated in target shooting and the sharpshooters were sent to Vancouver to compete in the Department of the Columbia matches. They often patrolled the Indian reservations.

The Second Infantry Regiment was garrisoned at the post in the beginning. In 1886, they were replaced by the Fourth Regiment. Ten years later the Sixteenth Infantry came in. Troops of First and Second Cavalry regiments headquartered at Fort Walla Walla supplemented them at times. The cavalry investigated rumors and performed police work. There was also a hospital staff section with a post surgeon. There was a very distinct division of duties between officers and enlisted men. Officers never performed menial tasks. Officers had servants who were civilians. Officers might receive reprimands for an infraction but an enlisted man may face court-martial. Excessive drinking was a problem. An infantry private made only $13 a month, $18 after ten years of enlistment. Dessertions were common though not worse than other army posts. They did have one diversion and that was baseball. They often played games between companies and sometimes between local teams of nearby towns such as Davenport. The farm boys usually beat the Boys in Blue. There was a post school for enlisted men and officers that were attended sporadically. There was also a school for the enlisted men's children. There was also a post Reading Room, required by law. Later the post got a billiard room and were entertained by traveling minstrel shows and dramatic troupes. Balls and teas were even held.

The soldiers used Model 1873 .45 caliber Springfield rifles. It was a single shot rifle. Repeating arms were not adopted by the army because rapid fire rifles would have increased the ammunition supply problem. The Springfield was considered very accurate at long range. In 1894 they used the Krag-Jorgensen rifle invented by the Danes. It was a bolt-action repeating rifle. Officers had army issue .45 caliber revolvers. Fort most of the fort's history it had only two field guns, plus a Hotchkiss rapid fire mountain rifle and a multi-barrelled Gatling gun. The Gatling was taken away forever in 1893. Many supplies were leftover from the Civil War and even in the 1890s the army was still trying to use them up. Some records from the post were written on Civil War stationery.

The telegraph came to the post in March 1881. A telephone link to Davenport came in 1887. By 1890 long distance calls to Chicago were possible. Carrier pigeons were used when the lines frequently went down.

The Moses Reservation between the Okanogan River and Lake Chelan and the Colville Reservation from the Okanogan to the Columbia were the two nearby reservations. Most of the Indians destined to live there lived elsewhere. A third one was planned for the Spokanes. Whites were already prevented from settling in those areas. Keeping both parties where they belonged was a difficult task. In 1883 miners stimulated the unrest. Lead and silver ore had been found in Toad's Coulee on the Moses Reservation near the Canadian border and mines were developed. The Indians had been informed they should give up that portion of the reservation, but they rejected the suggestion. The war department was warned that there could be trouble. Whites began to settle on the reservation. Farms were taken from the Okanogan. A rumor that the land had been taken back by the federal government anyway caused more hostility. Councils were held and troops were moving. Then the chiefs gave in, allowing white settlement as long as they were justly compensated. War was averted.

While back in Washington, Chief Moses was talked out of his entire reservation for a thousand dollar a year annuity. They were also allowed to keep their farms as long as they allowed their lots to be surveyed. Moses and most of his people moved to Nespelem on the Colville Reservation. The Chelans would not comply, however, because if any farm was located on non-reservation land, the Indian was required to give up his tribal rights in order to keep it. This led to the ruin of their self-reliance. It also brought troops from Fort Spokane to deal with the problem. They were forceably removed from their homes and sent to the Colville Reservation.

Chief Joseph and the other Nez Perce captives of the 1877 war were brought to Fort Spokane in 1885. They camped across the river from the fort for several months. Eventually they were sent to the Colville Reservation too. There continued to be opposition by the Sanpoils over the crowding into their land by other tribes. This was in part because the reservation was around their native lands, where they had always lived. Also, the Sanpoil believed that Moses' people had stolen horses from them. Many Chinese had moved in too, working placer mines on the Columbia. They were continually being evicted by the army but they kept coming back. The army sat down in negotiations with the Sanpoil. War was avoided again.

The fort also feared trouble with the Pend Oreille Indians when cattlemen moved into that area. There was an attempt to move the Kalispels to the Coeur d'Alene reservation, but it didn't work. Reports said Indians were killing settlers and stealing stock, but the reports were false. Another dispute rose when Indians said army men were hunting on the reservation, depleting their food supply. The commander agreed to disallow it, but also made the Indian sub agent prevent Indians from hunting on non-reservation land.

The army also built two wagon roads, one to the Colville Valley and another to the mouth of the Colville River. They also built a military road to Cheney. They reopened the Hudson's Bay Company road from Kettle Falls to the Okanogan Valley and the road from Peon Prairie to Chewelah. Other roads were built to Davenport and Sprague, and to the mouth of the Okanogan. They maintained a ferry across the Columbia just above the Spokane rapids. They put down the riots in the Coeur d'Alene mines. Troops were also sent to Spokane to put down disturbances caused by the 1893-94 depression and losses of jobs.

Most of the time the soldiers there trained for battles that never happened. They were called out a few times, but fighting never went on. In fact, they began to be more involved with fighting with outlaw whites. Several other units were rotated in and out until 1898 when the majority of the remainder was recalled to fight in the Spanish-American War. When the fort was abandoned the bodies in the cemetery were exhumed and moved to Fort Wright at Spokane. In 1899 the post became a school for Indian children. The small town of Miles had sprung up around the Indian Agency, named for General Nelson Miles, the man who had recommended that Camp Spokane be made a permanent post. This town was basically abandoned. In 1914 it was made into an Indian hospital and tuberculosis sanitarium. By 1929 it was no longer being used. When the reservoir of Lake Roosevelt rose behind Grand Coulee Dam, the canyon below the fort was flooded. In 1960 the National Park Service took over preservation of the property. These four buildings that have been preserved are now part of the Coulee Dam National Recreation Area.

(SOURCE: Sentinel of Silence: A Brief History of Fort Spokane, David H. Chance, Pacific Northwest National Parks Association, 1981)

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Last updated: 12/22/04