Fort Date Creek, also known as Camp McPherson or Camp Date Creek, was a United States

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post established in 1867 sixty miles south of

Prescott Prescott may refer to: People Given name * Prescott E. Bloom, American lawyer and politician * Prescott Bush, American banker and politician * Samuel Prescott Bush, American industrialist * Prescott F. Hall, American lawyer, author and eugenicist ...

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. It was built to safeguard American

settler A settler or a colonist is a person who establishes or joins a permanent presence that is separate to existing communities. The entity that a settler establishes is a Human settlement, settlement. A settler is called a pioneer if they are among ...

s in

Yavapai County Yavapai County ( ) is a county near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott. Yavapai County comprises the Pr ...

History

Fort Date Creek is located along

Date Creek Date or dates may refer to: * Date, the fruit of the date palm (''Phoenix dactylifera'') * Jujube, also known as red date or Chinese date, the fruit of ''Ziziphus jujuba'' Social activity *Dating, a form of courtship involving social activit ...

near the OX Ranch and was originally named Camp McPherson for

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James B. McPherson James Birdseye McPherson (/məkˈfərsən/) (November 14, 1828 – July 22, 1864) was a career United States Army officer who served as a general in the Union Army during the American Civil War. McPherson was on the general staff of Henr ...

at its founding on January 23, 1867. The fort was initially a temporary base protecting the road from

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to Prescott during the Hualapai War. Just after being founded, it was abandoned for a new post named Camp Skull Valley, twenty-five miles to the north in March 1867. On May 11, 1867, the fort was reopened and renamed Camp Date Creek and later Fort Date Creek. The fort itself was moved a short distance twice, but always remained along the creek. In 1868 the

garrison A garrison is any body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it. The term now often applies to certain facilities that constitute a military base or fortified military headquarters. A garrison is usually in a city ...

included two

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companies from the 14th Regiment and beginning in 1869, the area became an important center for fighting hostile native Americans. A temporary

reservation __NOTOC__ Reservation may refer to: Places Types of places: * Indian reservation, in the United States * Military base, often called reservations * Nature reserve Government and law * Reservation (law), a caveat to a treaty * Reservation in India, ...

was established at the fort in 1869 for the

Hualapai people The Hualapai ( , ) are a federally recognized Native American tribe in Arizona with about 2300 enrolled citizens. Approximately 1353 enrolled citizens reside on the Hualapai Reservation, which spans over three counties in Northern Arizona ( Coc ...

but by 1874 the

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declared that it was no longer needed for military purposes. Fort Date Creek then became a settlement for American pioneers for several years. As of today a few adobe buildings and a cemetery mark its location.

References

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Buildings and structures in Yavapai County, Arizona Arizona Territory History of Yavapai County, Arizona 1867 establishments in Arizona Territory National Register of Historic Places in Yavapai County, Arizona