Fort Churchill State Historic Park, Military fort ruins in Silver Springs, United States
Fort Churchill State Historic Park preserves the adobe ruins of an 1860s US Army fort beside the Carson River south of Silver Springs, Nevada. The remaining walls are tan and sand-coloured, with a broken roofline, rectangular door and window openings, and a base of dark irregular stones set in mortar. A patch of exposed brickwork sits high on one wall.
The fort was established in 1860 to protect settlers and secure communication routes between Nevada and California during local conflicts. It was abandoned in 1869 when military presence was no longer needed in the region.
The fort's name honors Sylvester Churchill, Inspector General of the US Army. Most Nevada men who enlisted in the Union Army served in companies raised at Fort Churchill, and about 400 of the 1,200 Nevadans posted there deserted during the Civil War. Twice a year, the Nevada Civil War Volunteers hold a Civil War encampment at the site.
The grounds are accessible via marked hiking trails, and camping facilities are available for visitors planning an extended stay. The visitor center provides information and guidance for exploring the different structures on the property.
The fort ruins were deliberately left in a state of "arrested decay" rather than rebuilt. In 1932 the state took control of 200 acres, then deeded the land to a local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution; with National Park Service aid the walls were stabilized, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built the current visitor center.
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