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Fort
Churchill was founded in 1860 at the height of Indian attacks on
settlers in Nevada. The Carson River Expedition led by Captain Joseph
Stewart was ordered to establish a post on the Carson River which would
assist in guarding the Pony Express and other mail routes as well as the
protection of settlers.
Hundreds of soldiers served at the fort named after Sylvester Churchill,
the Inspector General of the US Army. The fort consisted of adobe
buildings constructed on stone foundations in the traditional form of a
square which faced a central parade ground. The onset of the
Civil War made Fort Churchill a vital supply depot for the Nevada
Military District and as a base for troops on patrol on the overland
routes. Around 200 soldiers were stationed at Fort Churchill at any
given time.
By 1869
Fort Churchill had outlived its use. The adobe buildings were auctioned
for only $750 when the fort was abandoned by the military. Remains of
soldiers buried in the post cemetery were moved to Carson City in 1884.
The cemetery remains a part of Fort Churchill today, but the only
remaining graves are of the Buckland family, pioneer ranchers who sold
supplies to the fort.
The State
of Nevada, only 7 years old, declined the chance to acquire Fort
Churchill in 1871. For many years the fort lay neglected, used primarily
as a shelter for travelers on the Carson River Trail. Some scavenged
the fort remains for building materials.
In the
early 1930s the Nevada Sagebrush Chapter took an interest in preserving
the fort. The State of Nevada took custody of 200 acres of the original
military reservation on October 6, 1932. Aided by the passage of
Assembly Bill 189 by the 1931 Nevada Legislature, the State of Nevada in
turn deeded the land and buildings on April 30, 1934 to the Nevada
Sagebrush Chapter DAR to hold in trust. The National Park Service made
restoration plans, and the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) renovated
the fort remains and built the visitor center. But World War II pulled
manpower away from the fort and it was vandalized and damaged from
weather until interest returned in 1957 when it became a part of the
Nevada State Park System.
On February 16, 1961, the title of Fort Churchill was reconveyed from
the DAR to the State of Nevada. A Governor’s proclamation declared Fort
Churchill a state historical monument.
Alice
Baltzelle Addenbrooke, a charter member of and Honorary Chapter Regent
of Nevada Sagebrush Chapter, was a tireless promoter of the restoration
efforts of Fort Churchill. She authored The Enchanted Fort, a
detailed the history of Fort Churchill published in 1968. Mrs.
Addenbrooke also served as 17th State Regent of Nevada, from
1941-1943.
 The
bronze marker reads: “This plaque commemorates the efforts of the
Nevada Sagebrush Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution to
preserve the integrity of Nevada’s first and largest military outpost.
Two hundred acres of the original military reservation were granted to
the State of Nevada by the federal government on October 6, 1932.
Nevada, in turn, deeded the land and buildings on April 30, 1934 to the
Nevada Sagebrush Chapter DAR to hold in trust for the State and as
custodian for the perpetuation and preservation thereof. By deed
pursuant to trust, dated February 16, 1961 title to Fort Churchill was
reconveyed to the State of Nevada that it might, by official
proclamation, be designated a state historical monument.”
The marker was dedicated on October 22, 1967.
Pictured at the marker dedication is Honorary State Regent Alice B.
Addenbrooke, who was a featured speaker at the dedication and was
instrumental in the Fort Churchill park effort.
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