Camp Floyd
Encyclopedia
Camp Floyd was a short-lived U.S. Army post near Fairfield, Utah
, United States
. The site is now a Utah state park
known as Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum.
, Camp Floyd was named for then Secretary of War John B. Floyd
. The army consisted of more than 3,500 military and civilian employees, including cavalry, artillery, infantry, and support units. This army, the largest single troop concentration then in the United States, was sent by President James Buchanan
to stop a perceived Mormon
rebellion, which came to be known as the Utah War
.
From Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the army marched to Fort Bridger
, Wyoming
where it spent the winter of 1857. Troops arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah
in June 1858. Soon after their arrival, troops settled in the Cedar Valley area and eventually Fairfield, where 400 buildings were constructed by November 1858. A series of photographs of Camp Floyd, taken by Samuel C. Mills
in January 1859, show the post as a cluster of adobe buildings including barracks, officers quarters, warehouses and other sundry structures. Enough civilians soon followed to increase the town size to 7000, almost half that of Salt Lake City. The rebellion never took place, leaving the army with routine garrison
duty that included protecting the stagecoach
and Pony Express
routes, preventing Indian marauding, and mapping and surveying responsibilities.
Supplying the large garrison, 1100 miles from Fort Leavenworth, was costly. It was rumored to be an attempt by Secretary of War Floyd (a known southern sympathizer) to drain the federal treasury. A contract with the firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell
for delivery of 16 million pounds of freight required 3500 wagons, 40,000 oxen, 1000 mules and more than 4000 men. This same company formed the Pony Express
, which had a station in Fairfield.
After Secretary of War Floyd resigned on December 29, 1860, Camp Floyd was renamed Fort Crittenden. It was abandoned in July 1861 with the military being called east for the American Civil War
. Equipment and buildings were sold, destroyed or transported. All that remain today are the military cemetery and one commissary building. Two months after the army's departure, only 18 families remained in Fairfield.
on State Route 73. The park is open Mon-Sat from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
This heritage park reflects the settlement of Utah and its resolution of ongoing conflicts with the federal government.
Fairfield, Utah
Fairfield is a town located in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The latitude of...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The site is now a Utah state park
Utah State Parks
Utah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
known as Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum.
Camp Floyd
Established in July 1858 by a US Army detachment under the command of Bvt. Brig. Gen. Albert Sidney JohnstonAlbert Sidney Johnston
Albert Sidney Johnston served as a general in three different armies: the Texas Army, the United States Army, and the Confederate States Army...
, Camp Floyd was named for then Secretary of War John B. Floyd
John B. Floyd
John Buchanan Floyd was the 31st Governor of Virginia, U.S. Secretary of War, and the Confederate general in the American Civil War who lost the crucial Battle of Fort Donelson.-Early life:...
. The army consisted of more than 3,500 military and civilian employees, including cavalry, artillery, infantry, and support units. This army, the largest single troop concentration then in the United States, was sent by President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
to stop a perceived Mormon
Mormon
The term Mormon most commonly denotes an adherent, practitioner, follower, or constituent of Mormonism, which is the largest branch of the Latter Day Saint movement in restorationist Christianity...
rebellion, which came to be known as the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
.
From Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the army marched to Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail, California Trail and Mormon Trail. The Army established a military post here in 1858 during the Utah War until...
, Wyoming
Wyoming
Wyoming is a state in the mountain region of the Western United States. The western two thirds of the state is covered mostly with the mountain ranges and rangelands in the foothills of the Eastern Rocky Mountains, while the eastern third of the state is high elevation prairie known as the High...
where it spent the winter of 1857. Troops arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City, Utah
Salt Lake City is the capital and the most populous city of the U.S. state of Utah. The name of the city is often shortened to Salt Lake or SLC. With a population of 186,440 as of the 2010 Census, the city lies in the Salt Lake City metropolitan area, which has a total population of 1,124,197...
in June 1858. Soon after their arrival, troops settled in the Cedar Valley area and eventually Fairfield, where 400 buildings were constructed by November 1858. A series of photographs of Camp Floyd, taken by Samuel C. Mills
Samuel C. Mills
A photographer from Washington, D.C., Samuel C. Mills produced the earliest surviving photographic record of the Oregon Trail and California Trail, from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, to Camp Floyd, Utah Territory.-Early years:...
in January 1859, show the post as a cluster of adobe buildings including barracks, officers quarters, warehouses and other sundry structures. Enough civilians soon followed to increase the town size to 7000, almost half that of Salt Lake City. The rebellion never took place, leaving the army with routine garrison
Garrison
Garrison is the collective term for a body of troops stationed in a particular location, originally to guard it, but now often simply using it as a home base....
duty that included protecting the stagecoach
Stagecoach
A stagecoach is a type of covered wagon for passengers and goods, strongly sprung and drawn by four horses, usually four-in-hand. Widely used before the introduction of railway transport, it made regular trips between stages or stations, which were places of rest provided for stagecoach travelers...
and Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
routes, preventing Indian marauding, and mapping and surveying responsibilities.
Supplying the large garrison, 1100 miles from Fort Leavenworth, was costly. It was rumored to be an attempt by Secretary of War Floyd (a known southern sympathizer) to drain the federal treasury. A contract with the firm of Russell, Majors and Waddell
Russell, Majors and Waddell
Russell, Majors and Waddell was a business partnership, based in Lexington, Missouri, between William Hepburn Russell, Alexander Majors, and William B. Waddell. It operated various transportation and communications services in the American West in the 1850s and early 1860s, including stagecoach...
for delivery of 16 million pounds of freight required 3500 wagons, 40,000 oxen, 1000 mules and more than 4000 men. This same company formed the Pony Express
Pony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
, which had a station in Fairfield.
After Secretary of War Floyd resigned on December 29, 1860, Camp Floyd was renamed Fort Crittenden. It was abandoned in July 1861 with the military being called east for the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. Equipment and buildings were sold, destroyed or transported. All that remain today are the military cemetery and one commissary building. Two months after the army's departure, only 18 families remained in Fairfield.
State Park
Camp Floyd/Stagecoach Inn State Park Museum is located 25 miles southwest of Lehi, UtahLehi, Utah
-Attractions:Lehi Roller MillsLehi Roller Mills was founded in 1906 by a co-op of farmers. George G. Robinson purchased the mill in 1910, and since then it has remained in the family. It is run today by grandson R. Sherman Robinson....
on State Route 73. The park is open Mon-Sat from 9:00 am to 5:00 pm.
This heritage park reflects the settlement of Utah and its resolution of ongoing conflicts with the federal government.
See also
- Cedar Fort, UtahCedar Fort, UtahCedar Fort is a town in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population was 341 at the 2000 census.-Geography:Cedar Fort is located at ....
- Fairfield, UtahFairfield, UtahFairfield is a town located in Utah County, Utah, United States. It is part of the Provo–Orem, Utah Metropolitan Statistical Area. The latitude of...
- Fort Douglas, UtahFort Douglas, UtahCamp Douglas was established in October 1862 as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the purpose of protecting the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was officially...
- List of Utah state parks
- Utah State ParksUtah State ParksUtah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
- John BufordJohn BufordJohn Buford, Jr. was a Union cavalry officer during the American Civil War, with a prominent role at the start of the Battle of Gettysburg.-Early years:...
- James H. SimpsonJames H. SimpsonJames Hervey Simpson was an officer in the U.S. Army and a member of the United States Topographical Engineers.-Early years:He was born in New Brunswick, New Jersey on March 9, 1813, the son of John Simpson and Mary Brunson. He graduated from the United States Military Academy in 1832 and was...
External links
- Official Camp Floyd website by Utah State ParksUtah State ParksUtah State Parks is the common name for the Division of Utah State Parks and Recreation; a division of the Utah Department of Natural Resources. This is the state agency that manages the state park system of the U.S...
- Camp Floyd by Utah.com (a commercial joint venture of the Utah Office of Tourism)