Camp Goodwin, and Fort Goodwin, a historical locale, at an elevation of 2648 feet, located in

Graham County, Arizona Graham County is a county in the southeastern part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 38,533, making it the third-least populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Safford. Graham County composes the ...

History

Camp Goodwin, then Fort Goodwin, was constructed in June 1864 by the California Volunteers, of the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

in Arizona Territory for a base for prosecuting the 1861-1872 Apache War and protecting settlers in the Upper

Gila River The Gila River (; O'odham ima Keli Akimel or simply Akimel, Quechan: Haa Siʼil, Maricopa language: Xiil) is a tributary of the Colorado River flowing through New Mexico and Arizona in the United States. The river drains an arid watershed of ...

region. It was named for

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

's first territorial governor, John N. Goodwin. The adobe buildings it was constructed with began to crumble in a few years due to poor construction. Additionally the camp was plagued by

malaria Malaria is a mosquito-borne infectious disease that affects humans and other animals. Malaria causes symptoms that typically include fever, tiredness, vomiting, and headaches. In severe cases, it can cause jaundice, seizures, coma, or deat ...

from

mosquitoes Mosquitoes (or mosquitos) are members of a group of almost 3,600 species of small flies within the family Culicidae (from the Latin ''culex'' meaning "gnat"). The word "mosquito" (formed by ''mosca'' and diminutive ''-ito'') is Spanish for "litt ...

in the cienega fed by the nearby spring from which the fort obtained its water. Called Camp Goodwin again from 1866, the camp was abandoned by the Army in March, 1871 due to the illness caused by malaria. The camp was subsequently used as a subagency of the

San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation The San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation ( Western Apache: Tsékʼáádn), in southeastern Arizona, United States, was established in 1872 as a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache tribe as well as surrounding Yavapai and Apache bands removed f ...

until about 1884.Granger, Byrd H. Arizona Place Names. Tucson, Arizona: University of Arizona Press, 1982, p. 127. Today the site is located on farmland not far from the ghost town of

Geronimo Geronimo ( apm, Goyaałé, , ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a prominent leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache ...

. Nothing remains of the post, the only physical marker is a Bureau of Land Management survey marker which indicates the original site of its flagpole.

External links

Fort Goodwin
from fortwiki.com accessed December 25, 2015.

References

{{Graham County, Arizona Populated places established in 1864 Former populated places in Graham County, Arizona History of Graham County, Arizona Forts in Arizona 1864 establishments in Arizona Territory Locale (geographic)