Camp Nichols, also known as Fort Nichols or Camp Nichols Ranch, was a short-lived historic fortification located in present-day

Cimarron County, Oklahoma Cimarron County is the westernmost County (United States), county in the U.S. state of Oklahoma. Its county seat is Boise City, Oklahoma, Boise City. As of the 2010 United States Census, 2020 census, its population was 2,296, making it the le ...

, about northwest of the community of

Wheeless, Oklahoma Wheeless is an unincorporated community in Cimarron County, Oklahoma, United States. The post office was established February 12, 1907, and discontinued September 27, 1963. Nearby are the ruins of Camp Nichols, a military encampment on the San ...

. It was built by New Mexico and California volunteers under the command of Col.

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman, fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent and United States Army, U.S. Army officer. He became an American frontier legend in his own lifetime ...

to protect travelers on the most dangerous part of the Cimarron Cut-off of the

Santa Fe Trail The Santa Fe Trail was a 19th-century route through central North America that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. Pioneered in 1821 by William Becknell, who departed from the Boonslick region along the Missouri River, the ...

from raids by the

Kiowa Kiowa ( ) or Cáuigú () people are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American tribe and an Indigenous people of the Great Plains of the United States. They migrated southward from western Montana into the Rocky Mountains in Colora ...

and

Comanche The Comanche (), or Nʉmʉnʉʉ (, 'the people'), are a Tribe (Native American), Native American tribe from the Great Plains, Southern Plains of the present-day United States. Comanche people today belong to the List of federally recognized tri ...

Indians. Established in May 1865 and abandoned in September 1865, it was the only human-made structure along the Cimarron Cut-off while it was an active route. and It is believed to have been named for Captain Charles P. Nichols of the First California Cavalry."Oklahoma Legends: Oklahoma Forts of the Old West."
Retrieved September 12, 2014. The site was about halfway () between Fort Union and the Cimarron Crossing of the

Arkansas River The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...

. The camp was originally a stockaded fort, measuring by . There were six stone buildings that served as officers' quarters, one building that was the quartermaster's store and an unknown number of stone walled tents housing the soldiers. The facility was surrounded by earth and stone breastworks. Only ruins remain; much of the stone has been removed by people wishing to use it in building other structures. The site is on private property and is not accessible to the public. Cedar Spring, about 0.25 miles (0.4) km west of the fort, provided fresh water for the camp and for passing wagon trains. The remains of the Cimarron Cutoff are about south of the camp, and are said to be the most impressive remains of the entire trail. The site was declared a

National Historic Landmark A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a National Register of Historic Places property types, building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the Federal government of the United States, United States government f ...

in 1963 and subsequently listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government's official United States National Register of Historic Places listings, list of sites, buildings, structures, Hist ...

References

External links

Camp Nichols; National Register Properties in Oklahoma

Encyclopedia of Oklahoma History and Culture - Camp Nichols

Oklahoma Digital Maps: Digital Collections of Oklahoma and Indian Territory
{{NRHP in Cimarron County, Oklahoma National Historic Landmarks in Oklahoma Buildings and structures in Cimarron County, Oklahoma Santa Fe Trail Native American history of Oklahoma History of the Public Land Strip Nichols 1865 establishments in Indian Territory 1865 disestablishments in Indian Territory National Register of Historic Places in Cimarron County, Oklahoma

See also

References

External links