Fort Dalles In 1853 the 10-mile square required by the government for self-sufficient Oregon Trail forts was shrunk to a mile square. C/O Bvt. Maj. (Brevet Major) Benjamin Alvord took the precaution of changing “Camp Drum” to “Fort Drum,” even though the facility was never stockaded or fortified, to ensure its square mile. Shortly afterward it became Fort Dalles. The newly available waterfront land allowed civilian development, and the town began to expand. The formation of Wasco County in 1854, plus the discovery of gold near Colville to the north, brought more white traffic into the area and increased the incidents of violence. Maj. Granville O. Haller, using regular and volunteer troops, captured and executed some Indians who committed atrocities against wagon trains, but the military was greatly outnumbered east of the mountains. An attempt was made in 1855, with treaties signed near Walla Walla and The Dalles, to avert all-out war and to confine the Indians to reservations in return for guaranteed hunting and fishing rights. But it became obvious that conditions were deteriorating and that the old fort buildings were no longer adequate to handle the inevitable expansion of hostilities: the Yakima Indian War. The arrival, early in 1856, of Col. George Wright with several divisions of the reorganized 9th Infantry, began Fort Dalles’ busiest period. Determined to enforce treaty compliance, Wright moved north after being delayed by a raid at the Cascades in which both the military outpost and civilian settlement came under attack by Klickitat Indians. Fort Dalles was now headquarters for a regiment, the main military depot for all goods and supplies destined for soon-to-be Forts Simcoe and Walla Walla to the north and east. Surgeon’s Quarters Abandoned buildings of Fort Dalles, circa 1890. The Surgeon’s Quarters, smallest and least costly of the four officers houses, is the only fort Dalles building still standing except for the little Gardner’s Cottage which was located near the present-day The Dalles High School and was relocated to the Fort Dalles Museum grounds. The Surgeon’s Quarters cost a little less than $5,000 in 1856. The largest, Col Wright’s house, which Scholl called “the finest house in all Oregon” cost $22,000, though amazed emigrants and townsfolk referred to it as “the $100,000 house.” Government inspectors were unimpressed by the fort’s distinctive buildings and promptly forbade any further expense. Wright and Jordan were criticized for the ornate design and potential cost of upkeep. They pointed out that, with the scarcity of material and labor, all frontier construction was costly; furthermore much of the expense actually maintained forts at the Cascades, Simcoe and Walla Walla. Protest proved futile. Jordan was not even allowed to construct water storage. One unfortunate flaw, shared by the lovely buildings, was bad mortar in the chimneys. By the end of 1867, the three larger residences had burned to the ground.
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 19:42:47 +0000
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