Utah State Capitol Building: Fort Douglas - Case Study Example

Fort Douglas Fort Douglas, Utah, was designated as a National Historic Land Mark in 1970 and as a National Museum in 1973. After the outbreak of theAmerican Civil War in 1861 it became necessary to recall regular troops from their frontier duties to take action against the South. This movement of soldiers meant that the overland mail route to California was left unguarded from any possible attack by hostile native Americans. The construction of Camp, and later Fort, Douglas, was part of an attempt to provide the necessary protection. It also served to keep a check upon land disputes in the area. Thesis This museum is an example of a place which has adapted as America has changed in its priorities and interests, both in the local area and nationally and internationally. According to the Fort Douglas web site i it was first set up in 1862 as Camp Douglas under the leadership of Colonel Patrick Conner in order to provide protection for settlers and mail routes at a time when attacks by native American people were still a threat, and also while the American Civil War was still going on. Conner had answered a call for volunteers from President Abraham Lincolnii Its name was in honor of a recently deceased Senator for Illinois, Stephen A.Douglas.iii It has since that time gone through a number of different roles, including becoming an air base, and a home for troops returning from various postings abroad including the Second World War, and has even been used as a prisoner of war camp, for captured German military personnel, but also for internees and Conscientious Objectors , between 19717 and1920. Image 1 , Fort Douglas 1919iv At present the site, which took the title Fort Douglas in 1878 as it gradually increased in importancev, is both a museum and a base for volunteers. After the railway came nearby to Promontary, Utah, in 1869 it proved very easy to move troops in and out of the area, even as far as the west coastvi. Hibbard describes how units from the Fort were able to participate in the northern plains campaigns during the 1860s and 1870s, as well as in the war against the Sioux in 1890.Soon afterwards in the Spanish-American War of 1898, a black regiment, the 24th Infantry, who had been stationed at Fort Douglas, fought bravely in Cubavii. Colonel P.E. Conner,viii The site of the fort was also chosen so that the Mormonsix could be observed, as they were considered to be possible secessionistsx. Alexander reported that there was a lot of prejudice against the Mormons in the 1860sxi. He also describes many instances of land disputes and features a photograph of the grave in the Fort’s cemetery of a Doctor Robinson , killed in a land dispute in 1866xii. There are more than one hundred buildings still present, many of them dating from 1875. Their style is described as “quartermaster Gothic” (Fort Douglas Military Museum ,undated). Brigham Youngxiii forbade his Mormon followers from trading with the soldiers in the fort, so sutlers or traders were important, and one of their early sites, a dug out, has been excavated. Despite Young’s injunction the Fort gradually became a source of income for the local Mormon inhabitants of the area. At first dugouts and tents were used as shelter from winter cold and the fort was staffed by members of the California-Nevada Volunteers force, but after four years these were replaced by regular army personnel. The original dugouts were soon replaced with log cabins and adobe buildings. Only one of these adobe buildings now remains. Once the home of the fort’s commander and later used by other officer’s , at the present time it is not open to members From 1875 onwards the log cabins were replaced by the red sandstone buildings, some of which are still in place. Brick buildings began to be built in the early 1900sxiv Others have been modified, some burnt down and others demolished to provide room for the expanding Salt Lake City and its university. . Images 2 and 3 Pictures of early buildings at Fort Douglas ( Fort Douglas Military Museum ( undated) The fort serves now as a museum seeking to honor those who have served their country in the military, from the earliest days through to more recent years. A walking tour has been designed so that visitors can ensure they see the whole site, as well as learning about it.xv The area which can be considered as part of the Fort, or under its influence has varied over time, gradually shrinking as land was granted or sold others. This area has varied from a peak of 10,525 acres down to the present day when the military occupy only a relatively small 58 acres. A section of 50 acres in the south west corner of the area was designated as a public cemetery 1874 and is now known as Mount Olivet Cemetery, extended in 1909xviCongress has also granted at various periods beginning in 1894, a total of about 150 acres to the University of Utah. 49 acres were also granted to the Utah Pioneer Trails and Pioneer Association, and the Shriners also purchased land to the north of the original site in order that the group could build a children’s hospitalxvii. This process of allowing land to be used for other necessary purposes has continued as the Fort was no longer required either as a place to observe Mormons, or to protect settlers and mail routes. Map 1 Location Map of Fort Douglas Military Museum xviii Map 2 Speculative Reconstruction of Fort Douglas in 1915 The parade ground was built in 1863. After the end of the Second World War it was given the name Stilwell Field after the commander of American forces in China, Burma and India during World War II, General Joseph Stilwell. Another “hero” is celebrated in Chase Street, which was named for Lieutenant Darwin Chase, who led his men forward at the Battle of Bear River, despite being severely injured in both lungs. xixThe encounter though is now described as a massacre of the Shoshone people, whom it is believed were simply expecting the soldiers to come to negotiate. Towards the end of the 1860’s it was proposed for the first time that the fort was no longer needed, then quite soon after its inception. There were a number of other moves to close it down over time, especially after 1891 when it was generally considered that soldiers to defend the American frontier were no longer needed in the area. Just before World War I, after World War II and on several other occasions according to Browning xx several more attempts to close the fort down ensued. The Ninth Service Command was dismantled in 1946, and by 1947 the army was announcing that the fort was surplus to requirements. Some of its land was turned over to various bodies, including the nearby University of Utah. By 1950 though the Korean War had begunxxi and the facilities were required for military use once more. Having survived all these attempts as time after time it proved to be useful in its various roles, the Fort was further diminished in size in 1991 when Federal Legislation was passed which stated that some of its land was declared to be in excess of Army requirements. Some parts of the Fort however, including the historic Soldier’s Circle to the south of the original area, are still in use by members of the Naval and Marine Reserves, as well as the 96th Army Reserve Force. The way in which the Fort and its environs have adapted to changing needs can be clearly seen by considering the uses of just two buildings, building 631 and 632. At various periods these have been used for a school and a fire station as well as a mess hall, post office and the chaplain’s office. It is these two buildings which now house the museum xxii. Another adaption was made to building 28, constructed in 1884, using materials from an earlier bakery from 1872. From the 1920s it was used as a radio station until that was moved. The building was later extended into a garage, and during the period when America was involved in the Second World War the Fort became a center for the repair of military vehicles or various types. Parts of the same building have also been used by a veterinarian and as both an education office and as a center for procurement. Other ways in which buildings changed was when for instance, barracksxxiii once holding 40 men, and part of the original fort buildings, were turned into more spacious officer’s quarters for just three officers and their families, a process that included a great deal of re-modeling and modernization. Over the years, as the site became more established various other innovations were put in place. A sewage system was put in in 1897. Indoor plumbing came in 1903. Browning says that the aim was to attract a better class of soldierxxiv . Later came such modernities as steam heating, indoor sanitation telephones. Various other buildings were gradually added including such facilities as a gymnasium, a bowling alley, a bakery, storehouses and a guardhouse. The heyday of the fort was the period from 1922-1940 according to Browning xxv. Many recreational facilities were added at that period,such as a baseball field, a theater and a swimming pool. The parade ground the flag was finally lowered on 25 June 1967 and from that time on Fort Douglas was considered to be simply a sub-post of Fort Carson in Colorado. It took until 1989 however before Congress finally declared its approval of the closure of the fort as a military facility xxvi. Map 3, Fort Douglas, Virtual Tour 1 Stilwell Field ; Flag Pole and Museum Buildings 2 Bakery; Stables ; Double barracks and Regimental Head Quarters ( 1901) 3 Transformer Sub-station; Bakery; Motor Pool; Guard House; Gymnasium and Bowling Alley 4 Bandstand; Officers Quarters; University Housing 5 Band Barracks; Library; Chaplaincy; Officer’s Club ( during World War II) ;Post Office 6 Officer’s Quarters; University Housing 7 Regimental Head Quarters; Hospital ; now a Dorm for the University; Ambulance Garage; Medical Office and Barracks; Hospital Stewards Quarters; Quarters for N.C.Os; Hospital Store House and Morgue. 8 University Accommodation ; Various University Facilities such as the Shop and Dining Hall, site of the former NCO club; Heritage Center. 9 The only surviving adobe building, once the home of the Fort’s commander. NCO family accommodation; Bath house 10 Historically this was the area where such things as the blacksmith, carpenters and painters. It also contains the Ordnance Magazine; Quartermaster Clothing Warehouse, Gas station, Rest Rooms Conclusion It can be clearly seen that what began as a small camp staffed by volunteers in 1862, has proved its usefulness and successful adaptability for the American military and the wider American people over the past 150 years. This is despite changing wants, pressures, including economic ones, and higher standards required. It is now a museum and this too is important as the people need to know what has happened in the past, both good and bad, and in particular see how the military have worked for their support and protection over an extended period. It also shows how relationships and attitudes have changed as time has progressed. There is no need to protect settlers and mail routes any longer for instance and black troops are now integrated into the regular regiments. So in this one place is a picture of American history over 150 years. Bibliography Illustrations Image 1 , Colonel P.E.Conner, included by Grout, L.,(2012) The Bear River Massacre and the American Civil War, MilitaryHistoryOnline.com , retrieved from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/civilwar/articles/bearriver.aspx Images 2 and 3, Pictures of early buildings at Fort Douglas , Fort Douglas Military Museum ( undated) Retrieved 30th November 2012 from http://www.fortdouglas.org/research/history Maps Map 1 Location Map of Fort Douglas Military Museum, Browning,E., (2003) Historic Museum of Fort Douglas at the University of Utah, A Brief History and Walking Tour, Page 2 University of Utah, Retrieved 30th November 2012 from http://www.fortdouglas.org/sites/fortdouglas.org/files/walking%20tour%20book.pdf Map 2 Map 2 Speculative Reconstruction of Fort Douglas in 1915, Browning, E., (2003) Historic Museum of Fort Douglas at the University of Utah, A Brief History and Walking Tour, Page 2 University of Utah, Retrieved from http://www.fortdouglas.org/sites/fortdouglas.org/files/walking%20tour%20book.pdf Map 3, Fort Douglas, Virtual Tour, Historical Fort Douglas at the University of Utah .Retrieved 30th November 2012 from http://web.utah.edu/facilities/fd/virtual/vt_0.html Other References Alexander T., Conflict and Fraud: Utah Public Land Surveys in the 1850s, the Subsequent Investigation and Problems with the Land Disposal System, Utah Historical Quarterly Volume 80, pages 6- 29, 2012, Retrieved from http://utah.ptfs.com/awweb/main.jsp?flag=browse&smd=1&awdid=1 Browning,E., (2003) Historic Museum of Fort Douglas at the University of Utah, A Brief History and Walking Tour, University of Utah, Retrieved from http://www.fortdouglas.org/sites/fortdouglas.org/files/walking%20tour%20book.pdf Fort Douglas Military Museum (undated) Retrieved 30th November 2012 from http://www.fortdouglas.org/research/history Grout, L.,(2012) The Bear River Massacre and the American Civil War, MilitaryHistoryOnline.com , retrieved from http://www.militaryhistoryonline.com/civilwar/articles/bearriver.aspx Hibbard, C, ( 1994) Fort Douglas, in Utah History Encyclopedia, Salt Lake City, University Of Utah Press, Hibbard, C. (1999), Fort Douglas , Utah: A Frontier Fort, 1862-1991, Colorado, Vestige Press 1999 Launias, R., Home on the Range: The U.S. Air Force Range in Utah, a Unique Military Resource, The Utah Historical Quarterly, Volume 59, pages 6-34, Fall 1991 Shriners Hospitals for Children , Salt Lake City, Utah , (2012), Retrieved 30th November 2012 from http://www.shrinershospitalsforchildren.org/Hospitals/Locations/SaltLakeCity.aspx War Prison Barracks Three Fort Douglas Utah, Retrieved from https://netfiles.uiuc.edu/rcunning/www/ftd.htm Read More