Fort Taylor was a temporary Army post during 1858 in Washington Territory, on a site in present-day Columbia County, eastern Washington. The fort was located on the south bank of the

Snake River The Snake River is a major river of the greater Pacific Northwest region in the United States. At long, it is the largest tributary of the Columbia River, in turn, the largest North American river that empties into the Pacific Ocean. The Snake ...

, at its

confluence In geography, a confluence (also: ''conflux'') occurs where two or more flowing bodies of water join to form a single channel. A confluence can occur in several configurations: at the point where a tributary joins a larger river (main stem); o ...

with the tributary Tucannon River. Its now-submerged site is approximately northwest of the town of Starbuck, and east of State Highway 261.

History

Fort Taylor was established in early August 1858 by Captain E. D. Keyes with a detachment of dragoons, during the

Spokane – Coeur d'Alene – Paloos War The Coeur d'Alene War of 1858, also known as the Spokane-Coeur d'Alene-Pend d'oreille-Paloos War, was the second phase of the Yakima War, involving a series of encounters between the allied Native American tribes of the Skitswish ("Coeur d'Alene ...

. It was built to protect the

crossing for the U.S. Army at the mouth of Tucannon River. The structure's walls were built of basalt rock gabions, with a hexagonal wood

blockhouse A blockhouse is a small fortification, usually consisting of one or more rooms with loopholes, allowing its defenders to fire in various directions. It is usually an isolated fort in the form of a single building, serving as a defensive stro ...

rising above. It had a large flatboat to ferry people and supplies across the river. This fort was only used for 6 weeks in 1858 by Colonel George Wright as his Snake River crossing point for his forces on 18 August 1858. After a few days he finished crossing for his campaign against the allied tribes to the north that ended with the Battle of Four Lakes and

Battle of Spokane Plains The Battle of Spokane Plains was a battle during the Coeur d'Alene War of 1858 in the Washington Territory (now the states of Washington and Idaho) in the United States. The Coeur d'Alene War was part of the Yakima War, which began in 1855. The b ...

. Fort Taylor was named for Captain Oliver Hazard Perry Taylor who was killed on 17 May 1858, while he served with

Lt. Colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the army, armies, most Marine (armed services), marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use t ...

Edward Steptoe Edward Jenner Steptoe (November 7, 1815 – April 1, 1865) was an officer in the United States Army who served in the Mexican-American War and the Indian Wars. He is primarily remembered for his defeat at the Battle of Pine Creek during the Spok ...

in the Battle of Pine Creek against the allied tribes of Spokanes, Coeur d'Alenes, Palouse,

Cayuse Cayuse may refer to: *Cayuse people, a people native to Oregon, United States *Cayuse language, an extinct language of the Cayuse people *Cayuse, Oregon, an unincorporated community in the United States *Cayuse horse, an archaic term for a feral or ...

, and Yakimas. ;Demises On 1 October 1858 Fort Taylor was abandoned. With the end of the Yakima War no further need of troops were required at the crossing. The site of Fort Taylor was submerged in 1968, with the filling of the new Lake Herbert G. West reservoir behind Lower Monumental Dam on the Snake River.

References

Taylor Buildings and structures in Columbia County, Washington Former installations of the United States Army Former buildings and structures in Washington (state) Snake River Washington Territory Government buildings completed in 1858 1858 establishments in Washington Territory 1858 disestablishments in Washington Territory Buildings and structures demolished in 1968 1968 disestablishments in Washington (state) {{US-mil-hist-stub

History

See also

References