Fort Umpqua was a

trading post A trading post, trading station, or trading house, also known as a factory, is an establishment or settlement where goods and services could be traded. Typically the location of the trading post would allow people from one geographic area to tr ...

built by the

Hudson's Bay Company The Hudson's Bay Company (HBC; french: Compagnie de la Baie d'Hudson) is a Canadian retail business group. A fur trading business for much of its existence, HBC now owns and operates retail stores in Canada. The company's namesake business div ...

in the company's

Columbia District The Columbia District was a fur trading The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold ...

(or

Oregon Country Oregon Country was a large region of the Pacific Northwest of North America that was subject to a long dispute between the United Kingdom and the United States in the early 19th century. The area, which had been created by the Treaty of 1818, co ...

), in what is now the

U.S. state In the United States, a state is a constituent political entity, of which there are 50. Bound together in a political union, each state holds governmental jurisdiction over a separate and defined geographic territory where it shares its sover ...

Oregon Oregon () is a U.S. state, state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington (state), Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of it ...

. It was first established in 1832 and moved and rebuilt in 1836.; online a
Google Books
/ref> Fort Umpqua was first established in 1832 at the confluence of Calapooya Creek and the

Umpqua River The Umpqua River ( ) on the Pacific coast of Oregon in the United States is approximately long. One of the principal rivers of the Oregon Coast and known for bass and shad, the river drains an expansive network of valleys in the mountains west ...

. In 1836 it was moved and rebuilt on the south bank of the Umpqua River near the mouth of Elk Creek, at present-day Elkton, Oregon. The fort was intended to serve company's

fur trade The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of a world fur market in the early modern period, furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the mos ...

operations along the Umpqua River, Rogue River, and

Klamath River The Klamath River (Karuk: ''Ishkêesh'', Klamath: ''Koke'', Yurok: ''Hehlkeek 'We-Roy'') flows through Oregon and northern California in the United States, emptying into the Pacific Ocean. By average discharge, the Klamath is the second larges ...

. online a
Google Books
The

United States Exploring Expedition The United States Exploring Expedition of 1838–1842 was an exploring and surveying expedition of the Pacific Ocean and surrounding lands conducted by the United States. The original appointed commanding officer was Commodore Thomas ap Catesby ...

under

Charles Wilkes Charles Wilkes (April 3, 1798 – February 8, 1877) was an American naval officer, ship's captain, and explorer. He led the United States Exploring Expedition (1838–1842). During the American Civil War (1861–1865), he commanded ' during the ...

visited Fort Umpqua in 1841. On November 15, 1851, a fire destroyed Fort Umpqua. In 1854 the post was closed for good.

Second Fort Umpqua

Another Fort Umpqua was established later, in 1856 at the end of the 1855–1856 Rogue River War. It was located on the north bank of the Umpqua River about two miles from its mouth, near

Gardiner, Oregon Gardiner is an Unincorporated area, unincorporated community and census-designated place in Douglas County, Oregon, United States, across the Umpqua River from Reedsport, Oregon, Reedsport. It is located on U.S. Route 101 in Oregon, U.S. Route 10 ...

. Its structures including a

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 ...

and

barracks Barracks are usually a group of long buildings built to house military personnel or laborers. The English word originates from the 17th century via French and Italian from an old Spanish word "barraca" ("soldier's tent"), but today barracks are u ...

was built from salvaged material from Fort Orford. Troops from the

District of California The District of California was a Union Army command department formed during the American Civil War. The district was part of the Department of the Pacific, the commander of the department also being District commander. The district was created a ...

continued to be stationed here until conflict with Native American tribes subsided. The fort was abandoned in 1862. The old blockhouse and soldiers' barracks were later moved into town as a memorial. The USGS lists two historic locations, attributed to Lewis, A. and Lewis L. McArthur in ''

Oregon Geographic Names ''Oregon Geographic Names'' is a compilation of the origin and meaning of place names in the U.S. state of Oregon, published by the Oregon Historical Society. The book was originally published in 1928. It was compiled and edited by Lewis A. McArth ...

''.

References

External links

* http://www.fortumpqua.com/
Visiting Elkton
City of Elkton, Oregon Buildings and structures in Douglas County, Oregon Umpqua History of the Pacific Northwest Umpqua Oregon Country Umpqua 1832 establishments in Oregon Country Tourist attractions in Douglas County, Oregon {{Oregon-struct-stub