Fort Yuma
| Fort Yuma | |
|---|---|
| Part of Department of the West | |
| Imperial County, California, USA | |
Fort Yuma in 1875
|
|
| Coordinates | 32°43′55″N 114°36′58″W / 32.732°N 114.616°W |
| Type | Outpost |
| Site information | |
| Owner | Federal government of the United States |
| Controlled by | Bureau of Indian Affairs |
| Open to the public |
Yes |
| Condition | Restored |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1851 |
| Built by | United States Army |
| In use | 1851–83 |
| Materials | Adobe, Wood |
| Battles/wars |
Yuma War Mohave War American Civil War |
| Garrison information | |
| Past commanders |
Samuel P. Heintzelman George Henry Thomas |
| Garrison |
1st Dragoons 2nd Infantry Regiment 6th Infantry Regiment Quartermaster Corps 1st California Infantry |
| Occupants |
United States Army Quechan Tribe of the Fort Yuma Indian Reservation |
| Part of | Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites |
| Reference no. | 66000197 |
| Designated | November 13, 1966 |
| Part of | Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites |
| Reference no. | 806 |
Fort Yuma is a fort in California that is located in Imperial County, across the Colorado River from Yuma, Arizona. It was on the Butterfield Overland Mail route from 1858 until 1861 and was abandoned May 16, 1883, and transferred to the Department of the Interior. The Fort Yuma Indian School and the Saint Thomas Yuma Indian Mission now occupy the site. It is one of the "associated sites" listed as Yuma Crossing and Associated Sites on the National Register of Historic Places in the Yuma Crossing National Heritage Area. In addition, it is registered as California Historical Landmark #806.
First established after the end of the Mexican–American War (1848), the fort was originally located in the bottoms near the Colorado River, less than a mile below the mouth of the Gila River. It was constructed to defend the newly settled community of Yuma, New Mexico Territory, located on the other side of the Colorado River, and the nearby Mexican border.
In March 1851 the post was moved to a small elevation on the Colorado's west bank. This site had been occupied by Camp Calhoun, named for Senator John C. Calhoun. It was established on October 2, 1849, by 1st Lieutenant Cave J. Couts, 1st Dragoons, for the boundary survey party led by 2nd Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, Corps of Topographical Engineers. A ferry service, maintained by the soldiers for the survey party's convenience, also accommodated emigrants.
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