Overview of Fort Churchill

The best time to visit Fort Churchill is late afternoon. That’s when the sun drops to the edge of the nearby mountains and paints long shadows on the adobe ruins.

Recently, we journeyed 45 miles east of Carson City via U.S. 50 and Alternate U.S. 95 to Fort Churchill State Park. The U.S. Army built the fort in 1860 to house troops protecting western Nevada settlers, who feared an Indian uprising.

Earlier that year, local tribes had fought with the white settlers in the so-called Pyramid Lake War. The fort also provided protection for Pony Express riders and later served as a western outpost for the U.S. Army during the Civil War.

In 1869, the U.S. Government abandoned the post, which was expensive to operate, and auctioned the buildings. The wooden roofs, supports and porches were removed and sold, but the adobe walls remained. Wood from the fort was used to build Buckland Station, a stagecoach stop and hotel, which still stands about a mile from the fort.

While efforts were made in the 1930s to preserve the ruins, it wasn’t until 1957 that the site was acquired by the state of Nevada for a state historic park. Since then, the state has stabilized the remaining buildings in a state of “arrested decay.”

These days, Fort Churchill is a photographer’s wonderland. Its appearance seems to change depending on where you’re standing and how the sunlight plays on the ruins.

A good place to learn about the history of the fort is the visitor center located on a bluff overlooking the fort. Inside, visitors will find a helpful park ranger as well as a miniature model of the fort as it appeared in the 1860s. Back then, all the adobe walls were painted white and each building had a low, over-hanging roof, which also served to protect the adobe walls.

An interpretive trail leads from the visitor center to the fort ruins. Along the way visitors can discover the location of the two-story officers quarters, the parade grounds, hospital, troop quarters, the armory and other buildings.

Below the fort, in a beautiful cottonwood grove on the banks of the Carson River is a developed camping and picnicking area. There, you’ll find 20 shaded campsites (but no RV hook ups), an RV dump station and picnic tables. For more information contact the Fort Churchill State Historic Monument, 775-577-2345.—-Richard Moreno

This entry was posted on Wednesday, July 19th, 2006 at 9:31 am and is filed under Exploring. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.