Cheyenne and Arapaho Delegation, Camp Weld, September 28, 1864

Fort Weld, also called Camp Weld, began as a military camp on 30 acres east of the Platte River in what is now the La Alma-Lincoln Park neighborhood of Denver, Colorado. It was named for

Lewis Ledyard Weld Lewis Ledyard Weld (May 13, 1833 – January 10, 1865) was an American lawyer, politician, and Union Army officer. Weld, the third son of Lewis Weld, was born in Hartford, Connecticut, May 13, 1833. He graduated from Yale College in 1854. Af ...

, the first Territorial Secretary. The central square of the post was used to practice drills of the troops. Buildings—soldier's quarters, officers' headquarters, mess rooms, a hospital, and a guard house—surrounded the square. The main entrance to the camp was on the eastern side of the post. It was established on September 1861 and abandoned in 1865.

Civil War

Governor William Gilpin had it built in 1861 to protect the territory from attack by the Confederate soldiers during the Civil War. After the

Battle of Fort Sumter The Battle of Fort Sumter (April 12–13, 1861) was the bombardment of Fort Sumter near Charleston, South Carolina by the South Carolina militia. It ended with the surrender by the United States Army, beginning the American Civil War. Follo ...

, tensions from people of the north and south resulted in brawls in the bars and streets of Denver and there were rumors that a brigade from Texas was marching towards Colorado. Soldiers of the

1st Colorado Infantry Regiment The 1st Colorado Infantry Regiment (officially the 1st Regiment of Colorado Volunteers) was a volunteer infantry regiment of the United States Army formed in the Colorado Territory in 1861 and active in the American West in the late 19th century. ...

trained at Camp Weld and was credited with preventing advance of Texan troops in the Western United States. John Chivington was a commander of the post.

Native Americans

Arapaho and Cheyenne leaders met at Camp Weld in September 1864. Called the Camp Weld Council, it was a peace talk with the tribes and representatives from the Colorado Territory and the United States Army, Silas S. Soule, militia commander John Chivington, territorial governor John Evans and Major

Edward W. Wynkoop Edward Wanshear Wynkoop (June 19, 1836 – September 11, 1891) was an American US Army Colonel during the American Civil War. He was a founder of the city of Denver, Colorado. Wynkoop Street in Denver is named after him. History Edward Wans ...

. The council was intended to bring peace between the native tribes and the European settlers and the Arapaho and Cheyenne leaders thought that they complied with the peace terms. However, efforts by Evans and the Sand Creek massacre (November 29, 1864) led by Chivington was "a deep moral failure", according to a study by eight scholars from Northwestern University and other universities.

Former camp

There were two fires that destroyed the camp. One soldier staked a homestead claim on Officer's Row, the last standing section of the camp. He raised his family there and built fish ponds and planted orchards on the land. He operated a picnic ground and a market for years. A bronze and granite historical marker was erected at 8th and Vallejo in 1934, which says:

References

{{Forts in Colorado Weld 1861 establishments in Colorado Territory