Fort Churchill/Buckland Station

Fort Churchill/Buckland Station. . , Fort Churchill, Established in 1860, Fort Churchill played a key role in the history of this region. During the turbulent decade of the 1860s, troops from the fort helped keep peace between the native Paiute Indians and ever-encroaching white settlement. They also guarded the Pony Express and telegraph lines; protected California-bound emigrants; settled civil disputes; and performed numerous other duties., By 1869, the reasons for the fort's existence had disappeared, and the post was abandoned. Over the next 88 years, the fort's adobe buildings were left to the effects of Nevada's harsh elements. In 1957, Gov. Charles H. Russell, recognizing the fort's historical significance, proclaimed Fort Churchill a Nevada state park., Visiting the Fort , The ruins of Fort Churchill can be viewed by the public. To get the most out of your visit, first stop at the park's visitor center and enjoy the interpretive displays, scale models, historic artifacts, photon and illustrations. They will help the fort come to life. Then go out and make your own discoveries., [photo captions] , This 1862 lithograph depicts Fort Churchill looking to the north., U.S. Army Captain Joseph Stewart was Fort Churchill's first commanding officer. , Although Paiute leader Numaga counseled peace, clashes between the Indians and whites in 1859 and early 1860 led to the establishment of Fort Churchill. , As proposed by Captain Stewart in this letter, the post was named in honor of Sylvester Churchill, Inspector General of the U.S. Army. , Buckland Station, This area's earliest residents were Native Americans who probably hunted game and gathered food along the river's banks. The first Euro-American, fur trappers searching for new sources of beaver pelts, arrived by 1830. They were followed shortly by California-bound emigrants in the 1840s and 50s. One of these emigrants was Samuel Buckland., In 1858, Buckland drove cattle into the Carson River Valley, and a year later settled at this site which would become known as Buckland Station. Here he built a toll bridge and a large log cabin. When Fort Churchill was abandoned in 1869, Buckland purchased many of the post's buildings then used the materials to construct the large permanent structure that is Buckland Station today., Following Buckland's death in 1854, the station passed through a series of owners, and slowly decayed. In 1995, the property was purchased by the Nevada Division of State Parks and incorporated into Fort Churchill State Historic Park., Samuel Buckland: Nevada Pioneer , Born in Ohio in 1826, Samuel Buckland was drawn by the Gold Rush to California in 1850. In 1857 he moved to Nevada and eventually began ranching. Driving 300 head of cattle to the Carson River Valley in 1858, Buckland settled at this site a year later. Over the next 25 years he became a prominent citizen and rancher in the area, constructing a toll bridge, log cabin and eventually the present-day Buckland Station, using materials auctioned off when Fort Churchill was abandoned., Buckland married a 20-year old California emigrant, Eliza Prentice, on December 6, 1860. They had nine children but only three of them (George, Frank, and Nelson) lived to adulthood. Eliza died on January 3, 1884 after being cut in a a freak accident. After that, Samuel Buckland's health declined rapidly and he died December 28, 1884., [photo caption] This 1854 illustration shows Buckland Station as it appeared the year Samuel and Eliza Buckland died. Today, little changed in its overall appearance, the building is a tribute to the quality of Buckland's construction.