6 min
Overview
An interpretive trail leads around this state heritage area and details the history of this outpost established in 1856 during the Rogue River War. Native Americans from southern Oregon were relocated to the Grand Ronde Indian Reservation near here and at times there were three companies of troops stationed here to observe Indian movements. The fort also sat near the boundary of the large coastal reservation of that time and policed activity along the Killimuck Trail, the traditional route between the Willamette Valley and the coast. Construction of the fort was begun by Lieutenant William Hazen and future general Philip Sheridan also served here as a 2nd lieutenant until the beginning of the Civil War. The buildings here were decommissioned in 1866 and some were moved to other locations. The state opened the park to the public in July, 2006, but excavations of the site by an Oregon State University team continued well after that date. There are restrooms, an information kiosk, and picnic tables at the parking area. Get a view over an old barn to Spirit Mountain, a sacred place to members of the Confederated Tribes of the Grand Ronde. The land below, which includes the barn, was purchased by the tribes from a Mormon settler with three wives. The longhouse and powwow grounds that you drove past on your way here is part of this parcel. Walk past the information kiosk and the caretaker's house to an area shaded by big maples. The officer’s quarters have been moved back here and have been restored. The site of the sutler’s store is just below. Take the gravel trail heading gently uphill. There are a few oaks up to the left crowning the knoll. Cross a boardwalk and come to the site of the kitchen. Then pass the sites of the company quarters and the mess hall. Pass by the oaks and their picnic tables and get a view of Spirit Mountain from the top of the knoll. A U.S. flag on a tree trunk flaps in the breeze. A sign says the block house will be moved back here from its current residence in Dayton. Head up past the
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