Jump to content

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park: Difference between revisions

Coordinates: 36°10′50″N 115°08′01″W / 36.18056°N 115.13361°W / 36.18056; -115.13361
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Browse history interactively
← Previous edit
Content deleted Content added
VisualWikitext
Vegaswikian (talk | contribs)
270,510 edits
Disambiguated: Mohave → Mohave people
convert ext link to fn, update
 
(87 intermediate revisions by 63 users not shown)
Line 1: Line 1:
{{short description|State park in Nevada, U.S.}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=July 2024}}
{{Infobox park
| name = Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort <br/>State Historic Park
| photo = Las Vegas, NV - Mormon Fort (1).jpg
| photo_width = 280
| photo_alt = Fort walls
| photo_caption = Reconstructed portion of fort <br/>in downtown Las Vegas
| map = United States Downtown Las Vegas#USA Nevada
| map_caption = Location in Las Vegas
| map_width = 280
| relief = 1
| label = Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort <br/>State Historic Park
| location = [[Las Vegas, Nevada]], United States
| coords = {{coord|36|10|50|N|115|08|01|W|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref = <ref name=gnis/>
| area = {{convert|3.16|acre|abbr=on}}<ref name=statelands/>
| elevation = {{convert|1923|ft|m|abbr=on}}<ref name=gnis>{{cite gnis|855718|Las Vegas Mormon Fort (historical)}}</ref>
| established = 1991
| free_label = Named for
| free_data =
| designation = [[List of Nevada state parks|Nevada state historic park]]
| administrator = Nevada Division of State Parks
| visitation_num =
| visitation_year =
| visitation_ref =
| status =
| website = {{Official website}}
| embedded =
{{Infobox NRHP
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Las Vegas Mormon Fort
| name = Las Vegas Mormon Fort
| nrhp_type =
| nrhp_type =
| image = Old Mormon Fort (8227858878).jpg
| caption = Part of the reconstructed Las Vegas Mormon Fort
| image = Bureau of Reclamation Lab - Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park - 28 October 2020.jpg
| caption = Part of the original fort, later remodeled and used as a testing laboratory by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
| location = 900 Las Vegas Blvd. N.<br>[[Las Vegas, Nevada]]
| image_size = 280
| lat_degrees = 36
| location = 500 E. Washington Ave. <br>[[Las Vegas, Nevada]]
| lat_minutes = 10
| coordinates =
| lat_seconds = 49
| locmapin =
| lat_direction = N
| area = 0.699 acres
| long_degrees = 115
| built = 1855
| long_minutes = 7
| architect =
| long_seconds = 57
| architecture =
| long_direction = W
| added = February 1, 1972
| locmapin = Nevada
| refnum = 72000764
| area =
| increase = December 12, 1978
| built =1855
| increase_refnum = 78003379
| architect =
| mpsub =
| architecture =
| designated_other1_name = Nevada Historical Marker
| added = February 1, 1972
| designated_other1_date =
| refnum = 72000764
| designated_other1_abbr = Marker
| increase = December 12, 1978
| designated_other1_link = Nevada Historical Markers
| increase_refnum = 78003379
| mpsub =
| governing_body = Local (Nevada Division of State Parks)
| designated_other1_name = Nevada Historical Marker
| designated_other1_date =
| designated_other1_abbr = Marker
| designated_other1_link = Nevada Historical Markers
| designated_other1_number = 35
| designated_other1_number = 35
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
| designated_other1_color = #ffc94b
}}
}}
}}
'''Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park''' is a [[state park]] of [[Nevada]], USA, containing the Old Mormon Fort, the first structure built by people of European blood in what would become [[Las Vegas, Nevada|Las Vegas]] fifty years later.

'''Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park''' is a [[state park]] of [[Nevada]]. It contains the Old Mormon Fort (completed 1855), the first permanent structure built in what would become [[Las Vegas]] fifty years later.<ref name=nsp/> In present-day Las Vegas, the site is at the southeast corner of [[Las Vegas Boulevard]] and Washington Avenue, less than one mile north of the [[downtown]] area and [[Fremont Street]]. This is the only U.S. state park located in a city that houses the first building ever built in that city.<ref name=smithsonian/> The fort was listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]] on February 1, 1972.<ref name="nrhpinv1"/> The site is memorialized with a tablet erected by [[the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints]] in 1997,<ref name=histmarker/> along with [[Nevada Historical Markers|Nevada Historical Marker]] #35,<ref name=markers/> and two markers placed by the [[Daughters of Utah Pioneers]].


==Architecture and purpose==
In present day Las Vegas, the site is just east of [[Las Vegas Boulevard]] and slightly north of the [[downtown]] area and [[Fremont Street]]. This is the only U.S. state park located in a city that actually houses the first building ever built in that city.<ref>The Smithsonian, guide to Historic America, The Desert states - page 318</ref>
It was built in the [[Territorial Style|New Mexico folk carpenter architectural style]] to facilitate travel along the [[Old Spanish Trail (trade route)|Spanish Trail]], and to enable [[Mormon missionary]] work in the [[Las Vegas Valley]] and to those traveling from [[New Mexico Territory|New Mexico]] to [[California]].<ref name=npslesson/><ref name="Friends Of The Fort 1931 h401"/>


The fort was surrounded by {{convert|14|ft|m|adj=on}} high [[adobe]] walls that extended for {{convert|150|ft|m}}. While called a fort, it was never home to any military troops but like many Mormon forts provided a defense and shelter for local settlers and travelers.{{cn|date=July 2024}}
A [[visitor center]] is available to help explain the history of the fort. The fort is listed on the [[National Register of Historic Places]]. The site is marked as [[Nevada Historical Markers|Nevada Historical Marker]] #35.


==History==
==History==
===Mormon period===
The first settlers, [[Mormon]] [[missionaries]], arrived on June 14, 1855 and selected a site, along one of the creeks that flowed from the [[Las Vegas Springs]], on which they would build the fort. The fort served as the midpoint on the trail from [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and [[Los Angeles, California]].
[[Mormon]] [[missionaries]] led by [[Las Vegas Mission#William Bringhurst|William Bringhurst]] arrived on June 14, 1855, and selected a site, along one of the creeks that flowed from the [[Las Vegas Springs]], on which they would build the fort. The fort served as the midpoint on the trail between [[Salt Lake City, Utah]] and [[Los Angeles, California]]. As a result of the beginning of the [[Utah War]], the Mormons abandoned the fort.


===Civil War period===
The fort was surrounded by {{convert|14|ft|m|sing=on}} high [[adobe]] walls that extended for {{convert|150|ft|m}}. While called a fort, it was never home to any military troops but like many Mormon forts provided a defense for the local settlers against an Indian attack. As a result of the beginning of the [[Utah War]], the Mormons abandoned the fort.
Around 1860, a small detachment of [[U.S. Army]] troops was assigned to protect the settlers at the fort.<!-- 1st Dragoons from Fort Tejon, part Carltons campaign against the Piute in the Mojave in 1860? -->{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}


The fort was called Fort Baker during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], named after [[Edward Dickinson Baker]]. In a letter from Col. [[James Henry Carleton]] written to Pacific Department headquarters, December 23, 1861, Carleton mentions his plan to send an advance party of seven companies from [[Fort Yuma]] to reoccupy [[Fort Mojave]] and reestablish the ferry there.<ref>Carleton calls it Fort Navajo, but by referring to the ferry and Major [[William Hoffman (U.S. Army)|Hoffman]]'s route up the Colorado in his campaign against the [[Mohave people|Mohave]] Indians it clearly indicates he means Fort Mojave. He also indicates it will then draw supplies from [[Los Angeles]]. Fort Mojave was the terminus of the supply route known as the [[Mojave Road]] from [[San Bernardino]] and Los Angeles.</ref> Carleton then intended to send on from there three cavalry companies and one of infantry to the Mormon fort at Las Vegas, and establish a post called Fort Baker. This was in preparation for an advance to Salt Lake City the following year.<ref name=adjutant/> The move to reoccupy Fort Mojave never occurred as planned because Carleton's [[California Column]] at Fort Yuma were sent instead into [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]] to evict the Confederates there the next year. However, Fort Mojave was later reoccupied in 1863 by Union troops from California. In 1864, a road survey party led by Captain Price, Company M, [[2nd California Cavalry Regiment]] traveled on the route from Fort Douglas to Fort Mojave passing through Las Vegas, stopping for water there on June 10. No mention is made of any garrison there.<ref name=hunt/> Presumably the post was never garrisoned during the Civil War.
Around 1860, a small detachment of [[U.S. Army]] troops was assigned to protect the settlers at the fort.<!-- 1st Dragoons from Fort Tejon, part Carltons campaign against the Piute in the Mojave in 1860? -->{{Citation needed|date=December 2009}}


===Ranching/early Las Vegas period===
The fort was called Fort Baker during the [[American Civil War|Civil War]], named after [[Edward Dickinson Baker]]. In a letter from Col. [[James Henry Carleton]] written to Pacific Department headquarters, December 23, 1861, Carleton mentions his plan to send an advance party of seven companies from [[Fort Yuma]] to reoccupy [[Fort Mojave]] and reestablish the ferry there.<ref>Carleton calls it Fort Navajo, but by referring to the ferry and Major [[William Hoffman (U.S. Army)|Hoffman]]'s route up the Colorado in his campaign against the [[Mohave people|Mohave]] Indians it clearly indicates he means Fort Mojave. He also indicates it will then draw supplies from [[Los Angeles]]. Fort Mojave was the terminus of the supply route known as the [[Mojave Road]] from [[San Bernardino]] and Los Angeles.</ref> Carleton then intended to send on from there three cavalry companies and one of infantry to the Mormon fort at Las Vegas, and establish a post called Fort Baker. This was in preparation for an advance to Salt Lake City the following year.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=RTEOAAAAIAAJ&pg=PA11&lpg=PA11&dq=%22First+Regiment,+Washington+Territory+Infantry+Volunteers%22&source=bl&ots=TsHVuMDzFb&sig=KsM89IlNIC22qm3wYqqfcKoFle8&hl=en&ei=vTdySumOHIHCsQObgtHeCA&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=10#v=onepage&q=%22Las%20Vegas%22&f=false California. Adjutant General's Office, Records of California men in the war of the rebellion 1861 to 1867, State office, 1890 p. 21]</ref> The move to reoccupy Fort Mojave never occurred as planned because Carleton's [[California Column]] at Fort Yuma were sent instead into [[Arizona]] and [[New Mexico]] to evict the Confederates there the next year. However, Fort Mojave was later reoccupied in 1863 by Union troops from California. In 1864, a road survey party led by Captain Price, Company M, 2nd California Cavalry traveled on the route from Fort Douglas to Fort Mojave passing through Las Vegas, stopping for water there on June 10. No mention is made of any garrison there.<ref>[http://books.google.com/books?id=OVQPLM8mjGAC&q=%22Las+Vegas%22#v=snippet&q=%22Las%20Vegas%22&f=false Aurora Hunt, The Army of the Pacific: its operations in California, Texas, Arizona, New Mexico, Utah, Nevada, Oregon, Washington, Plains Region, Mexico, etc., 1860-1866, Stackpole Books, Mechanicsburg, 2004, pp. 202-203]</ref> Presumably the post was never garrisoned during the Civil War.
In 1865, [[Octavius Gass]] re-occupied the fort and started the irrigation works, renaming the area to Los Vegas Rancho (later renamed Las Vegas in 1902). Gass defaulted on a loan to Archibald Stewart in 1881 and lost the ranch, with Stewart and his wife Helen becoming the new caretakers. In 1902, William A. Clark's [[Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad|San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad]] acquired the property from Helen Stewart along with most of what is now downtown Las Vegas, transferring most of the company's land to the now defunct [[Las Vegas Land and Water Company]].<ref name=brochure/>


===Site preservation===
In 1865, [[Octavius Gass]] re-occupied the fort and started the irrigation works, renaming the area to [[Las Vegas Rancho]]. Gass defaulted on a loan to Archibald Stewart in 1881 and lost the ranch, with Stewart and his wife Helen becoming the new caretakers. In 1902, William A. Clark's [[Los Angeles and Salt Lake Railroad|San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad]] acquired the property from Helen Stewart along with most of what is presently downtown Las Vegas, transferring most of the company's land to the now defunct [[Las Vegas Land and Water Company]].<ref name="docs">{{cite web |url=http://parks.nv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2011/01/MormonStation2009.pdf |title=Nevada State Parks Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic State Park pamphlet |accessdate=2011-01-30}}</ref>
Ownership of the fort and the land around it changed hands many times and it had several close calls with destruction. In 1955, the land was acquired by the Las Vegas [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks]]. With support of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, the city of Las Vegas acquired the fort in 1989. Long-term protection was gained when the state acquired the site as a state park in 1991.<ref name=parkhistory/>


A $4.5 million renovation and visitor center, designed by assemblageSTUDIO, was completed in 2005.<ref name="unlv" /> A [[visitor center]] explains the history of the fort.<ref name=nsp/>
Ownership of the fort and the land around it changed hands many times and it had several close calls with destruction. In 1955, the land was acquired by the Las Vegas [[Benevolent and Protective Order of Elks|Elks]]. With support of the [[Daughters of Utah Pioneers]], the city of Las Vegas acquired the fort in 1989. Long-term protection was gained when the state acquired the site as a state park in 1991.<ref>{{cite news| last = Puit | first = Glenn | title = Living History | newspaper = Las Vegas Review-Journal | location = Las Vegas, Nev. | pages = 1B | date = 1997-12-14}}</ref> A $4.5 million renovation was completed in 2005.


==See also==
The building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1972.<ref name="docs">{{cite web |url=http://dmla.clan.lib.nv.us/DOCS/shpo/entries/clark.htm |title= Nevada Entries in the National Register of Historic Places |accessdate=2007-07-02 |work= }}</ref> Additional land surrounding the building was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on December 12, 1978.<ref name="docs" />
*[[Mormon Station State Historic Park]]
*[[Las Vegas Mission]]
*[[Fort Lemhi]]
*[[Fort Supply (Utah Territory)|Fort Supply]] - another Mormon fort with a similar purpose
*[[List of the oldest buildings in Nevada]]


==References==
==In popular culture==
{{reflist|refs=
The Mormon Fort is featured in the video game ''[[Fallout: New Vegas]]'', where it is a base for The Followers of the Apocalypse, a local charity organization.
<ref name=nsp>{{cite web |url=http://parks.nv.gov/parks/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort |title=Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park |work=Nevada State Parks |publisher=Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>


<ref name=statelands>{{cite web |url=http://lands.nv.gov/uploads/documents/PORTFOLIO_Master_List_LATEST_ONE_-_PUBLIC_POSTING_NRS_331.110A.pdf |title=Inventory of State Lands |publisher=Nevada Division of State Lands |date= April 27, 2018 |access-date=November 23, 2019}}</ref>
==See also==
* [[Mormon Station State Historic Park]]


<ref name=unlv>{{cite web |url=https://www.library.unlv.edu/speccol/archdb2/index.php/projects/view/157 |title=Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Visitors Center |work=Special Collections and Archives |publisher=University of Nevada, Las Vegas |access-date=November 23, 2019}}</ref>
== References ==

{{reflist}}
<ref name=parkhistory>{{cite web |url=http://parks.nv.gov/learn/park-histories/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort-history |title=History of Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park |work=Nevada State Parks |publisher=Department of Conservation and Natural Resources |access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name="nrhpinv1">{{cite web|url={{NRHP url|id=72000764}} |title=Las Vegas Mormon Fort |work=National Register of Historic Place Inventory Nomination |author=Gene Amberg, Supervisor of Federal Aid Programs, Planning Dept. |date=November 8, 1971 |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name=markers>{{cite web |url=http://shpo.nv.gov/nevadas-historical-markers/historical-markers/las-vegas-morman-fort |title=Las Vegas Old Mormon Fort |work=Nevada’s State Historical Markers |publisher=State Historic Preservation Office |access-date=January 30, 2017}}</ref>

<ref name=histmarker>{{cite web|url=https://www.hmdb.org/Marker.asp?Marker=1419 |title=The Las Vegas Mormon Fort |publisher=Historical Marker Database |date=June 16, 2016 |access-date=January 31, 2018}}</ref>

<ref name=smithsonian>{{cite book |title=The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Desert States |url=https://archive.org/details/smithsonianguide00smit |url-access=registration |author=Michael S. Durham |publisher=Stewart Tabori & Chang |year=1990 |page=[https://archive.org/details/smithsonianguide00smit/page/318 318] |isbn=1556701055 }}</ref>

<ref name=adjutant>{{cite book |title=Records of California Men in the War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1867 |url=https://archive.org/details/recordscaliforn00ortogoog |author=Brig.-Gen. Richard H. Orton |location=Sacramento, Cal. |access-date=December 29, 2009 |year=1890 |publisher=State Office |page=[https://archive.org/details/recordscaliforn00ortogoog/page/n25 21]}}</ref>

<ref name=hunt>{{cite book |title=The Army of the Pacific, 1860-1866 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OVQPLM8mjGAC&pg=PA202 |author=Aurora Hunt |date=2004 |publisher=Stackpole Books |series=Frontier Classics Series |isbn=978-0-8117-2978-9 |pages=202–203}}</ref>

<ref name=brochure>{{cite web |url=http://parks.nv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MormonFort2011-screen.pdf |title=Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic State Park Brochure |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120819194118/http://parks.nv.gov/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/MormonFort2011-screen.pdf |archive-date=August 19, 2012 |access-date=January 30, 2011}}</ref>

<ref name="Friends Of The Fort 1931 h401">{{cite web |url=https://www.friendsofthefort.org/history/ |title=A History of The Old Fort |publisher=Friends of the Fort |date=August 20, 1931 |access-date=March 17, 2024}}</ref>

<ref name=npslesson>{{cite web |url=https://www.nps.gov/articles/the-old-mormon-fort-birthplace-of-las-vegas-nevada-teaching-with-historic-places.htm |title=The Old Mormon Fort: Birthplace of Las Vegas, Nevada |work=Teaching with Historic Places Program |publisher=National Park Service |access-date=July 15, 2024}}</ref>
}}


== External links ==
== External links ==
{{Commons category|Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park}}
*{{commons category-inline}}
*[http://parks.nv.gov/parks/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort/ Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park]
*[http://parks.nv.gov/parks/old-las-vegas-mormon-fort Old Las Vegas Mormon State Historic Park]
*[http://www.nps.gov/history/NR/twhp/wwwlps/lessons/122fort/ The Old Mormon Fort: Birthplace of Las Vegas, Nevada] a National Park Service Teaching with Historic Places (TwHP) lesson plan


{{Downtown Las Vegas}}
{{Downtown Las Vegas}}
Line 70: Line 124:
{{Nevada State Historic Places/Clark}}
{{Nevada State Historic Places/Clark}}


{{authority control}}
[[Category:1991 establishments in Nevada]]

[[Category:State parks of Nevada]]
[[Category:Forts in Nevada]]
[[Category:Forts in Nevada]]
[[Category:Latter Day Saint movement in Nevada]]
[[Category:Museums in Las Vegas]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Nevada]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Nevada]]
[[Category:Museums in Las Vegas, Nevada]]
[[Category:Downtown Las Vegas]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Las Vegas, Nevada]]
[[Category:Formerly Used Defense Sites in Nevada]]
[[Category:Nevada state parks]]
[[Category:History of Las Vegas]]
[[Category:The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Nevada]]
[[Category:1855 establishments in New Mexico Territory]]
[[Category:American Civil War on the National Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Nevada]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Las Vegas]]
[[Category:Nevada State Register of Historic Places]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Nevada]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Nevada]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1991]]
[[Category:Protected areas established in 1991]]
[[Category:1991 establishments in Nevada]]

[[id:Taman Bersejarah Negara Bagian Old Las Vegas Mormon]]

Latest revision as of 13:53, 15 July 2024

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
State Historic Park
Fort walls
Reconstructed portion of fort
in downtown Las Vegas
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park is located in Downtown Las Vegas
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
State Historic Park
Location in Las Vegas
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park is located in Nevada
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
State Historic Park
Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort
State Historic Park (Nevada)
LocationLas Vegas, Nevada, United States
Coordinates36°10′50″N 115°08′01″W / 36.18056°N 115.13361°W / 36.18056; -115.13361[1]
Area3.16 acres (1.28 ha)[2]
Elevation1,923 ft (586 m)[1]
Established1991
Administered byNevada Division of State Parks
DesignationNevada state historic park
WebsiteOfficial website Edit this at Wikidata
Las Vegas Mormon Fort
Part of the original fort, later remodeled and used as a testing laboratory by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation
Location500 E. Washington Ave.
Las Vegas, Nevada
Area0.699 acres
Built1855
NRHP reference No.72000764 (original)
78003379 (increase)
MARKER No.35
Significant dates
Added to NRHPFebruary 1, 1972
Boundary increaseDecember 12, 1978

Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park is a state park of Nevada. It contains the Old Mormon Fort (completed 1855), the first permanent structure built in what would become Las Vegas fifty years later.[3] In present-day Las Vegas, the site is at the southeast corner of Las Vegas Boulevard and Washington Avenue, less than one mile north of the downtown area and Fremont Street. This is the only U.S. state park located in a city that houses the first building ever built in that city.[4] The fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on February 1, 1972.[5] The site is memorialized with a tablet erected by the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in 1997,[6] along with Nevada Historical Marker #35,[7] and two markers placed by the Daughters of Utah Pioneers.

Architecture and purpose

[edit]

It was built in the New Mexico folk carpenter architectural style to facilitate travel along the Spanish Trail, and to enable Mormon missionary work in the Las Vegas Valley and to those traveling from New Mexico to California.[8][9]

The fort was surrounded by 14-foot (4.3 m) high adobe walls that extended for 150 feet (46 m). While called a fort, it was never home to any military troops but like many Mormon forts provided a defense and shelter for local settlers and travelers.[citation needed]

History

[edit]

Mormon period

[edit]

Mormon missionaries led by William Bringhurst arrived on June 14, 1855, and selected a site, along one of the creeks that flowed from the Las Vegas Springs, on which they would build the fort. The fort served as the midpoint on the trail between Salt Lake City, Utah and Los Angeles, California. As a result of the beginning of the Utah War, the Mormons abandoned the fort.

Civil War period

[edit]

Around 1860, a small detachment of U.S. Army troops was assigned to protect the settlers at the fort.[citation needed]

The fort was called Fort Baker during the Civil War, named after Edward Dickinson Baker. In a letter from Col. James Henry Carleton written to Pacific Department headquarters, December 23, 1861, Carleton mentions his plan to send an advance party of seven companies from Fort Yuma to reoccupy Fort Mojave and reestablish the ferry there.[10] Carleton then intended to send on from there three cavalry companies and one of infantry to the Mormon fort at Las Vegas, and establish a post called Fort Baker. This was in preparation for an advance to Salt Lake City the following year.[11] The move to reoccupy Fort Mojave never occurred as planned because Carleton's California Column at Fort Yuma were sent instead into Arizona and New Mexico to evict the Confederates there the next year. However, Fort Mojave was later reoccupied in 1863 by Union troops from California. In 1864, a road survey party led by Captain Price, Company M, 2nd California Cavalry Regiment traveled on the route from Fort Douglas to Fort Mojave passing through Las Vegas, stopping for water there on June 10. No mention is made of any garrison there.[12] Presumably the post was never garrisoned during the Civil War.

Ranching/early Las Vegas period

[edit]

In 1865, Octavius Gass re-occupied the fort and started the irrigation works, renaming the area to Los Vegas Rancho (later renamed Las Vegas in 1902). Gass defaulted on a loan to Archibald Stewart in 1881 and lost the ranch, with Stewart and his wife Helen becoming the new caretakers. In 1902, William A. Clark's San Pedro, Los Angeles, and Salt Lake Railroad acquired the property from Helen Stewart along with most of what is now downtown Las Vegas, transferring most of the company's land to the now defunct Las Vegas Land and Water Company.[13]

Site preservation

[edit]

Ownership of the fort and the land around it changed hands many times and it had several close calls with destruction. In 1955, the land was acquired by the Las Vegas Elks. With support of the Daughters of Utah Pioneers, the city of Las Vegas acquired the fort in 1989. Long-term protection was gained when the state acquired the site as a state park in 1991.[14]

A $4.5 million renovation and visitor center, designed by assemblageSTUDIO, was completed in 2005.[15] A visitor center explains the history of the fort.[3]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b "Las Vegas Mormon Fort (historical)". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ "Inventory of State Lands" (PDF). Nevada Division of State Lands. April 27, 2018. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
  3. ^ a b "Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park". Nevada State Parks. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  4. ^ Michael S. Durham (1990). The Smithsonian Guide to Historic America: The Desert States. Stewart Tabori & Chang. p. 318. ISBN 1556701055.
  5. ^ Gene Amberg, Supervisor of Federal Aid Programs, Planning Dept. (November 8, 1971). "Las Vegas Mormon Fort". National Register of Historic Place Inventory Nomination. National Park Service. Retrieved January 30, 2017.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  6. ^ "The Las Vegas Mormon Fort". Historical Marker Database. June 16, 2016. Retrieved January 31, 2018.
  7. ^ "Las Vegas Old Mormon Fort". Nevada’s State Historical Markers. State Historic Preservation Office. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  8. ^ "The Old Mormon Fort: Birthplace of Las Vegas, Nevada". Teaching with Historic Places Program. National Park Service. Retrieved July 15, 2024.
  9. ^ "A History of The Old Fort". Friends of the Fort. August 20, 1931. Retrieved March 17, 2024.
  10. ^ Carleton calls it Fort Navajo, but by referring to the ferry and Major Hoffman's route up the Colorado in his campaign against the Mohave Indians it clearly indicates he means Fort Mojave. He also indicates it will then draw supplies from Los Angeles. Fort Mojave was the terminus of the supply route known as the Mojave Road from San Bernardino and Los Angeles.
  11. ^ Brig.-Gen. Richard H. Orton (1890). Records of California Men in the War of the Rebellion 1861 to 1867. Sacramento, Cal.: State Office. p. 21. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
  12. ^ Aurora Hunt (2004). The Army of the Pacific, 1860-1866. Frontier Classics Series. Stackpole Books. pp. 202–203. ISBN 978-0-8117-2978-9.
  13. ^ "Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Historic State Park Brochure" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on August 19, 2012. Retrieved January 30, 2011.
  14. ^ "History of Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park". Nevada State Parks. Department of Conservation and Natural Resources. Retrieved January 30, 2017.
  15. ^ "Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort Visitors Center". Special Collections and Archives. University of Nevada, Las Vegas. Retrieved November 23, 2019.
[edit]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Old Las Vegas Mormon Fort State Historic Park.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Old_Las_Vegas_Mormon_Fort_State_Historic_Park&oldid=1234659000"