Fort Whipple is a former United States (U.S.) Army post that was temporarily established at Del Rio Springs, north of present-day

Chino Valley, Arizona Chino Valley is a town in Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. According to the 2020 United States census, the population of the town is 13,020. History Chino Valley is the site of the first Territorial Capital of Arizona. The capital moved ...

, and later relocated to a permanent site near present-day

Prescott, Arizona Prescott ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Yavapai County, Arizona, United States. As of 2020 United States census, 2020 Census, the city's population was 45,827. In 1864, Prescott was designated as the capital of the Arizona Territory, r ...

History

The initial location of the post was established by Major Edward Banker Willis and Captain Nathaniel J. Pishon on December 23, 1863. They led Companies C and F of the First California Volunteers and set up the post under General Order #27 issued by General James Henry Carleton. Only tents and huts were in place, no permanent buildings were constructed at the Del Rio Springs site. The post was named Fort Whipple, after Amiel Weeks Whipple, an American military officer and topographical engineer. He served as a brigadier general in the

American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861May 26, 1865; also known by Names of the American Civil War, other names) was a civil war in the United States between the Union (American Civil War), Union ("the North") and the Confederate States of A ...

, and was mortally wounded on May 7, 1863, at the

Battle of Chancellorsville The Battle of Chancellorsville, April 30 – May 6, 1863, was a major battle of the American Civil War (1861–1865), and the principal engagement of the Chancellorsville campaign. Confederate General Robert E. Lee's risky decision to divide h ...

Virginia Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...

. The Whipple Expedition led by Lieutenant A.W. Whipple between 1853 and 1854 was to survey a transcontinental railroad route along the 35th parallel north from Fort Smith, Arkansas to Los Angeles, California. Along the expedition's route, Whipple spotted the fields of gamma grass in the Del Rio Springs area and called the region "Val de China". The Governor's Party arrived at Fort Whipple on January 22, 1864. Consisting of most of the officials of the new territorial government of Arizona, Governor John Noble Goodwin used the fort as the temporary government headquarters while he visited the territory to determine a permanent location for the fort and territorial capital. In mid-May 1864, Major Willis under instructions from Colonel Nelson H. Davis, selected and implemented the relocation of the fort twenty-one miles south, near a miner's tent settlement on the east bank of Granite Creek. This permanent location for the fort was recommended by Governor Goodwin. Its placement was on higher ground, had better access to lumber, and the military could better protect the miners and pioneers in the Bradshaw Mountains area. The fort was a large rectangular pine-log stockade. At the same time, Whipple Depot was established as part of the fort. In late May, Prescott (approximately 1½ miles west of the fort) was designated as the permanent capital of the Arizona Territory. The town was named after William H. Prescott, historian. The town's name was suggested by then Secretary Richard Cunningham McCormick of the Arizona Territory, whom had read Hickling's books. In setting up the territorial government, Goodwin's administration oversaw the first election of members to the

1st Arizona Territorial Legislature The 1st Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on September 26, 1864, in Prescott, Arizona, and ran for forty-three days. The session was responsible for enacting Arizona's fi ...

in July 1864. In September 1864, they met in Prescott and adopted the Howell Code, which was the first set of statutory laws to govern the territory. The legislature also enacted legislation establishing the Arizona Historical Society, creation of mail routes, and establishing a public education system, which included a public university (the University of Arizona). The legislature's meeting in Prescott made it the ''de facto'' capital of the territory. The old site at Del Rio Springs continued to be used by scouting parties and was called Camp Clark, in honor of John A. Clark, Surveyor General of the

New Mexico Territory The Territory of New Mexico was an organized incorporated territory of the United States from September 9, 1850, until January 6, 1912. It was created from the U.S. provisional government of New Mexico, as a result of '' Nuevo México'' becomi ...

. The camp site was later sold, becoming Postle's Ranch. Fort Whipple served as a tactical base for detachments of several regiments involved in the

American Indian Wars The American Indian Wars, also known as the American Frontier Wars, and the Indian Wars, was a conflict initially fought by European colonization of the Americas, European colonial empires, the United States, and briefly the Confederate States o ...

between 1864 and 1886. Fort Whipple became headquarters of the Military Department of Arizona from 1870 to 1886 when Colonel

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer who served in the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. He is best known for commanding U.S. forces in the Geronimo Campaign, 1886 campaign that ...

was assigned to Fort Whipple. He was responsible for having a new fort built to replace the decrepit palisade fort. Between 1869 and 1872, the old fort stockade was razed and the majority of new construction occurred up until 1877. Whipple Depot was destroyed by fire in April 1872 and rebuilt by July 1872. In 1878, Whipple Depot was renamed Prescott Barracks. In May 1879, under General Orders #53, Prescott Barracks and Fort Whipple were consolidated to become Whipple Barracks. From May 1885 to July 1886, Fort Whipple was home to Colonel

Benjamin Grierson Benjamin Henry Grierson (July 8, 1826 – August 31, 1911) was a music teacher from Illinois who, although afraid of horses, volunteered for service in the Cavalry in the American Civil War, cavalry during the American Civil War, Civil War, ...

and Troop B of the

10th Cavalry Regiment (United States) The 10th Cavalry Regiment is a unit of the United States Army. Formed as a segregated African-American unit, the 10th Cavalry was one of the original "Buffalo Soldier" regiments in the post–American Civil War, Civil War Regular Army. It serve ...

, also known as Buffalo Soldiers. By 1895, the fort was dilapidated and in 1897 was scheduled for deactivation. In April 1898 when the United States declared war on Spain, the U.S. Army reopened Whipple Barracks as a point of muster for Arizona volunteers. 200 volunteers were recruited and called the “Arizona Cowboy Regiment”. They departed on May 4, 1898, to assemble in San Antonio, Texas. Officially called the 1st U.S. Volunteer Cavalry, they were nicknamed the “

Rough Riders The Rough Riders was a nickname given to the 1st United States Volunteer Cavalry, one of three such regiments raised in 1898 for the Spanish–American War and the only one to see combat. The United States Army was small, understaffed, and diso ...

” and fought in Cuba. Whipple Barracks was inactive between 1899 and 1902, and then reactivated in April 1902 to house and medically treat troops returning from the

Spanish–American War The Spanish–American War (April 21 – August 13, 1898) was fought between Restoration (Spain), Spain and the United States in 1898. It began with the sinking of the USS Maine (1889), USS ''Maine'' in Havana Harbor in Cuba, and resulted in the ...

and

Philippine–American War The Philippine–American War, known alternatively as the Philippine Insurrection, Filipino–American War, or Tagalog Insurgency, emerged following the conclusion of the Spanish–American War in December 1898 when the United States annexed th ...

. New barracks, buildings and quarters were constructed between 1903 and 1908. Four companies (about 500 soldiers' total) moved in. The Prescott and Mount Union Railway operated an electric trolley passenger service between downtown Prescott and Fort Whipple from 1905 to 1911. Arizona became a state in 1912. Troops stationed at Whipple Barracks were reassigned to other locations, and in 1913 Whipple Barracks was placed in a caretaker/un-garrisoned post status in 1913, and overseen by a small maintenance crew. In 1918 during

World War A world war is an international War, conflict that involves most or all of the world's major powers. Conventionally, the term is reserved for two major international conflicts that occurred during the first half of the 20th century, World War I ...

I, the U.S. Army reactivated Whipple Barracks as U.S. Army General Hospital #20. The hospital was designed to treat soldiers with respiratory illnesses, primarily tuberculosis (TB). Construction of new wards and other auxiliary buildings took place, including buildings for the American Red Cross and Young Men's Christian Association (YMCA) organizations. In 1920 the property was loaned to th
U.S. Public Health Service
(USPHS) and operated under a permit from the War Department. The hospital was designated Hospital #50, Whipple Barracks, Arizona. The hospital retained its primary function in treating former soldiers with tuberculosis. The USPHS operated Whipple Barracks until Executive Order 3669 was signed on April 29, 1922. This executive order transferred the permit and functions of the hospital to the newly established U.S. Veterans Bureau. The facility became one of the most complete sanatoriums for the treatment of tuberculosis in the country. On July 3, 1930, Public Law Number 536 authorized President Hoover by executive order to consolidate the U.S. Veterans Bureau along with several agencies focused on the treatment of veterans to become the Veterans Administration (VA). March 4, 1931, was the official date transferring the Whipple Barracks title and property from the

United States Department of War The United States Department of War, also called the War Department (and occasionally War Office in the early years), was the United States Cabinet department originally responsible for the operation and maintenance of the United States Army, als ...

, also called the War Department to the newly established Veterans Administration. The main hospital building (Building 107) was constructed between 1938 and 1939, and opened to receive patients in October 1939. In July 1959, the VA re-designated Whipple VA hospital as a general medical and surgical hospital, in part due to the decline of tuberculosis patient load and increase of medical and surgical load. On May 17, 1964, The Veterans Administration celebrated the 100-year anniversary of Fort Whipple. Medical Center Director Kenneth .J. O’Brien presided over the ceremony. In March 1989, the Veterans Administration became a cabinet-agency and was renamed as the

United States Department of Veterans Affairs The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is a Cabinet-level executive branch department of the federal government charged with providing lifelong healthcare services to eligible military veterans at the 170 VA medical centers an ...

(VA). During 1995, a reorganization of the entire agency occurred to refocus and address a variety of veteran's healthcare needs. The VA hospital in Prescott along with the other VA clinics that served the northern Arizona region was officially named th
Northern Arizona VA Health Care System
(NAVAHCS). On April 17, 2004, the VA hospital/medical center complex at Prescott, Arizona, was renamed the ''Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center'', after Congressman Stump, Chairman of the House Armed Services Committee. On July 29, 2005, as part of the 75th anniversary celebration of the Veterans Administration/Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), a time capsule was buried near the main circle in front of the main hospital building. The time capsule will be opened in July 2030 during the 100th anniversary celebration of the VA. Significant expansion and construction has occurred since the time the VA acquired Whipple Barracks. Notable buildings include the Community Living Center (Building 148), which was built in two phases, Phase 1 between 1987 and 1989, and Phase 2 between 1995 and 1997; the Domiciliary (Building 151) built between 1988 and 1990; the new Outpatient Mental Health building (Building 161) built between 2014 and 2015; the new Pharmacy/Laboratory building built between 2016 and 2018. Certified on th
National Register of Historic Places
in 1999 by the

National Park Service The National Park Service (NPS) is an List of federal agencies in the United States, agency of the Federal government of the United States, United States federal government, within the US Department of the Interior. The service manages all List ...

, the historic name of Fort Whipple is listed as "Fort Whipple/Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center Historic District."

Fort Whipple Museum and other historic structures

Former military officer's quarters, Building 11 is now Fort Whipple Museum. The museum opened in 2004 and is painted light yellow and dark green. Fort Whipple Museum has artifacts and historical displays about the fort and hospital, including medical instruments, Army weaponry, the Buffalo Soldiers, maps, and photographs. The museum is operated as a joint project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System, Bob Stump VA Medical Center in Prescott, Arizona. The museum is currently open on Fridays only from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.. Plans to add additional days will be based on demand and volunteer staffing. Also pictured are the historic buildings that were built between 1903 and 1908: * The Fort Whipple Officers' Quarters * The Fort Whipple NCO Quarters * The Fort Whipple Army Barracks * The Fort Whipple Post Headquarters * The Fort Whipple Post Hospital * The Fort Whipple Theater * The Fort Whipple Guardhouse

Original location

References

External links