Cantonment on the Uncompahgre

Following a Ute Indian uprising in Meeker in 1879, a treaty was agreed upon for the removal of the White River and Uncompahgre Utes to a reservation in Utah. However, and with good reason, the Uncompahgre Utes felt it was unfair that they be removed from their homeland because they had remained peaceful.

White settlers who had drifted in were beginning to get nervous that there could be trouble. In order to protect the citizens, to ensure that the terms of the treaty were carried out and to prevent squatters from riling the Indians, Colonel Mackenzie and his troops were sent to patrol the area. On July 21, 1880, a temporary supply camp, “Cantonment on the Uncompahgre,” was established eight miles south of the present site of Montrose.

That first bitter cold winter was spent in tents. The men were up and down all night feeding the stoves to keep from freezing. Cabins were hastily built with green logs, the pitch still oozing. Walls and ceilings had to be covered with canvas to keep the pitch from dripping onto the occupants.

When spring finally arrived, substantial buildings were built, making the camp more self-sufficient. In addition to the garrison buildings and officers’ quarters, there was a school and hospital.

Of course, lumber and water were needed, and both could be obtained in the vicinity of the nearby hillside, thus creating the Government Springs Road, which is still in use today. A man named Herman Darling came to the area about that time, locating a mill at Government Springs to cut the lumber for the military post.

Mackenzie and his troops executed the order to remove the Utes and it was done successfully and without incident in September 1881; however when the recommendation was made to abandon the post, there were many protests from local people.

In l886, the name of the fort was changed to Fort Crawford in honor of Capt. Emmet Crawford, who was killed in Mexico while pursuing hostile Indians across the border.  

Life at the post settled to a dull routine of drills, target practice, hunting and socializing. Trees were planted along the parade grounds. Once the town of Montrose was created, the soldiers and their families were a boost to the local economy.

On April 10, 1890, the order was received to withdraw all personnel and disperse them to other forts. The 160-acre parcel of land was purchased by James A. Fenlon for $1.25 an acre, while the buildings were auctioned off to become homes in the Uncompahgre area.

 Fenlon and his wife, Lizzie, ran a general merchandise store. After James  “Jim” was killed during a robbery, Lizzie continued to run the store and farm for many years. She sold the property to Abner Flowers.

A few years ago, a dig was done on the grounds of the former military post. Found were dozens of spent bullet casings, unfired bullets, metal of all kinds, including horse and mule shoes, a silver dinner fork and a door lock.

 There were many pieces of glass, bottles and pottery shards, some with floral designs. The most coveted items were several cavalry uniform buttons.

The fort was the beginning of the Uncompahgre community, which grew to have a postoffice, school, church, store with gas pumps, sugar beet dump, fruit packing shed and even a slaughterhouse. It became a productive farm and ranch area, which is rapidly growing into a residential and even commercial area.