Fort Ter-Waw was a fortified position of U.S. Army located at the site of the present-day town of

Klamath Glen, California Klamath Glen is an unincorporated community in Del Norte County, California. It is located on the Klamath River from its mouth, at an elevation of 46 feet (14 m). Klamath Glen was once a resort community, but was largely destroyed in a 1953 fl ...

. The Location is upstream from the mouth of the

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk language, Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath language, Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok language, Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') is a long river in southern Oregon and northern California. Beginning near Klamath Falls, Oregon, Klama ...

in the former Klamath River Reservation. Fort Ter-Waw was a

United States military The United States Armed Forces are the Military, military forces of the United States. U.S. United States Code, federal law names six armed forces: the United States Army, Army, United States Marine Corps, Marine Corps, United States Navy, Na ...

post created to establish an occupying force on the Klamath River Reservation that could "keep the peace" between the

Tolowa The Tolowa people or Taa-laa-wa Dee-ni’ are a Native American people of the Athabaskan-speaking ethno-linguistic group. Two rancherías (Smith River and Elk Valley) still reside in their traditional territory in northwestern California. Tho ...

and

Yurok The Yurok people are an Algic-speaking Indigenous people of California that has existed along the or "Health-kick-wer-roy" (now known as the Klamath River) and on the Pacific coast, from Trinidad south of the Klamath’s mouth almost to Cresc ...

Native American tribes and white settlers. It was established in what was then Klamath County, October 12, 1857, by First Lieutenant

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

and the men of Company D, US 4th Infantry Regiment. The fort was part of the

Humboldt Military District During the American Civil War, Army reorganization created the Department of the Pacific on January 15, 1861. On December 12, 1861, the District of Humboldt was created, consisting of the counties of Sonoma, Napa, Mendocino, Trinity, Humboldt, ...

headquartered at

Fort Humboldt A fortification (also called a fort, fortress, fastness, or stronghold) is a military construction designed for the defense of territories in warfare, and is used to establish rule in a region during peacetime. The term is derived from Lati ...

. Most of the fort was destroyed during the

Great Flood of 1862 The Great Flood of 1862 was the largest flood in the recorded history of California, Oregon, and Nevada, inundating the western United States and portions of British Columbia and Mexico. It was preceded by weeks of continuous rains and snows tha ...

in December 1861 and abandoned June 10, 1862. The garrison was moved to Camp Lincoln. The site is now in

Del Norte County Del Norte County (Spanish for "Of The North") is a county located at the far northwest corner of the U.S. state of California, along the Pacific Ocean adjacent to the Oregon border. Its population was 27,743 as of the 2020 census, down from 28 ...

and is marked by a

California Historical Landmark A California Historical Landmark (CHL) is a building, structure, site, or place in the U.S. state of California that has been determined to have statewide historical landmark significance. Criteria Historical significance is determined by meetin ...

(#544). Its location can be found from Hwy 101 taking Ter-Wer Valley exit (Hwy 169), going 3.4 mi to the end of the road, and turning right on Ter-Wer Riffle Road. The site is at the intersection of Ter-Wer Riffle Road and Trinity Way in Klamath Glen.

References

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Historic California Posts: Fort Ter-Waw, The California State Military Museum
Former installations of the United States Army Ter-Wer California Historical Landmarks History of Del Norte County, California 1857 establishments in California American Civil War forts and army posts in California {{DelNorteCountyCA-geo-stub