Camp Devin was a temporary
United States Army
The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...
camp established on June 30, 1878 during the building of the Fort Keogh-Deadwood Telegraph Line. It was named for Brevet Major General
Thomas C. Devin, and abandoned in late 1878.
History
On June 1, 1878 Lieutenant Colonel Luther P. Bradley and 520 men of the
9th United States Infantry left
Fort Laramie
Fort Laramie (founded as Fort William and known for a while as Fort John) was a significant 19th-century trading-post, diplomatic site, and military installation located at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers. They joined ...
following the Cheyenne-Deadwood Stage route to the Black Hills. Their mission was to construct a telegraph line between Deadwood and Fort Keogh, thus tying together Montana, Wyoming, and Dakota Territories. At the conclusion of a 30-day march they established a summer bivouac on June 30, 1878, and named it Camp Devin for Colonel and Brevet Major General Thomas C. Devin, the late commander of the
3rd U.S. Cavalry
The 3rd Cavalry Regiment, formerly 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment ("Brave Rifles") is a regiment of the United States Army currently stationed at Fort Hood, Texas.
The regiment has a history in the United States Army that dates back to 19 May 1 ...
, who had died on April 4, 1878. The camp had a life of only two months. Although the existence of the camp was short, its occupants fulfilled their mission. The completed telegraph line resulted in improved communications between forts and white settlements, opening the way for domestication of southeast Montana.
Location
Camp Devin is located at an unknown location in present-day southeastern
Carter County, Montana
Carter County is a county located in the U.S. state of Montana. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,415, making it the seventh-least populous county in Montana. The county seat is Ekalaka.
History
Carter County was named for Thomas ...
near the
Census-designated place
A census-designated place (CDP) is a concentration of population defined by the United States Census Bureau for statistical purposes only.
CDPs have been used in each decennial census since 1980 as the counterparts of incorporated places, such ...
of
Alzada, Montana
Alzada (also known as Stoneville and Telegraph Point) is a census-designated place in southern Carter County, Montana, United States. As of the 2010 census it had a population of 29. It is located at the intersection of U.S. Route 212 with Mont ...
, near the
Little Missouri River. Just outside Alzada near the Montana-Wyoming Border on
Montana Highway 326 there is a historical marker giving information about Camp Devin.
See also
*
List of military installations in Montana
There are at least 60 current and former U.S. military installations located in Montana. Installations listed as historical are no longer in service and may have no physical remains in the state.
Current installations
* Ekalaka Mini-Mutes R ...
Notes
{{coord missing, Montana
Devin
History of Montana
1878 establishments in Montana Territory