Fort Crook was a U. S. Army post, first established as Camp Hollenbush in 1857, in

Shasta County, California Shasta County (), officially the County of Shasta, is a County (United States), county in the Northern California, northern portion of the U.S. state of California. Its population is 182,155 as of the 2020 census, up from 177,223 from the 2010 c ...

, northeast of

Fall River Mills, California Fall River Mills, colloquially referred to as Fall River, is an unincorporated town and census-designated place (CDP) in Shasta County, California, United States. Its population is 616 as of the 2020 census, up from 573 from the 2010 census. Pro ...

. The Fort Crook Museum covers its history.

History

Camp Hollenbush was established by Captain John W.T. Gardiner commanding a detachment of soldiers from the

1st U.S. Dragoons The 1st Cavalry Regiment is a United States Army regiment that has its antecedents in the early 19th century in the formation of the United States Regiment of Dragoons. To this day, the unit's special designation is "First Regiment of Dragoons ...

and the 4th U.S. Infantry. The post was named for Assistant Surgeon Calvin G. Hollenbush. The post was later renamed Fort Crook for 1st Lieutenant

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nantan ...

, of the 4th U.S. Infantry, who commanded the Pitt River Expedition of 1857 and in one of the several engagements was severely wounded by an Indian arrow.Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, During the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...

California Volunteers California State Volunteer Units 1861 – 1866 The following are California State Volunteer Units that were active between 1861 – 1866 serving in the Union Army, most west of the Rocky Mountains in place of Federal troops: California Brigade ...

garrisoned the post. From August 3–12, 1861, troops from this post made a Scout from Fort Crook to Round Valley, in

Mendocino County Mendocino County (; ''Mendocino'', Spanish language, Spanish for "of Antonio de Mendoza, Mendoza) is a County (United States), county located on the North Coast (California), North Coast of the U.S. state of California. As of the 2020 United Sta ...

On August 5, 1861, other troops of the garrison fought a Skirmish in the Upper Pit River Valley with the

Achomawi Achomawi (also Achumawi, Ajumawi and Ahjumawi), are the northerly nine (out of eleven) bands of the Pit River tribe of Palaihnihan Native Americans who live in what is now northeastern California in the United States. These 5 autonomous bands ...

. On August 15–22, 1861 they conducted the Expedition from Fort Crook to the Pit River during which they fought a skirmish near Kellogg's Lake on August 19. The U. S. Army abandoned the post in 1869. The land was returned to the public domain in 1881.

The Location Today

There are no remains at the original site. On November 11, 1934 the Fort Crook Historical Society, placed a historical marker for Fort Crook, in Fall River Mills at . Fort Crook
from hmdb.org, THE HISTORICAL MARKER DATABASE accessed August 28, 2015 A restored cabin from the fort site was subsequently located at the Fort Crook Museum in Fall River Mills, California at the east intersection of McArthur Road & Soldier Mountain Road near the marker. In 2009, a

round barn A round barn is a historic barn design that could be octagonal, polygonal, or circular in plan. Though round barns were not as popular as some other barn designs, their unique shape makes them noticeable. The years from 1880 to 1920 represent th ...

that was used in breaking and training wild horses for the U.S. Army was reconstructed on the grounds of the Fort Crook Museum.

References

{{reflist

External links

Fort Crook Museum
Crook (California) History of Shasta County, California California Historical Landmarks Closed installations of the United States Army California in the American Civil War American Civil War army posts

Fort Crook (California) Fort Crook was a U. S. Army post, first established as Camp Hollenbush in 1857, in Shasta County, California, northeast of Fall River Mills, California. The Fort Crook Museum covers its history. History Camp Hollenbush was established by Captain ...

1857 establishments in California Museums in Shasta County, California History museums in California