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FORT LOWELL
(1860-1891)
The Spanish established a Presidio (fortified camp} in Tucson about 1776 and remained until 1829. Mexican soldiers garrisoned the walled town until General Philip Cooke's Mormon Battalion arrived in 1846; after negotiations, the Mexicans departed. Few Yankees were on hand. In 1860 the Camp Tucson, as it was then called,  was established on the present site of the Santa Rita Hotel in Tucson. The fort was evacuated at the outbreak of the Civil War. The Confederate constitutional convention declared this section of Arizona no longer a part of the US in March 1861. Confederate forces made this Camp their headquarters once they occupied Tucson. Tucson returned to Union control when the California Volunteers pitched camp on the east side of town a year later.

Post was too weak to be continued and was abandoned on September 15, 1864. The post was relocated at the Military Plaza  and as renamed Camp Lowell in honor of Brig. Gen. Charls R. Lowell of the 6th calvary, who was killed at Cedar creek Virginia during the Civil War.  Renamed Fort Lowell, April 5, 1879. The camp was repositioned and improved; it became a major supply depot for troops in southern Arizona during many Indian actions, including the Geronimo campaign. April 5, 1891 the Fort was abandoned despite outcries by local Tucsonians who desired to maintain the post for its economic status. The rebuilt officers' quarters now contain a museum. The fort is eight miles east of Tucson on Craycroft Road, south of Fort Lowell Road.

Websites

Fort Lowell Neighborhood- History
http://dizzy.library.arizona.edu/images/diverse/ftlowell/fort.htm

Fort Lowell Museum
2900 N. Craycroft Rd.  Phone 520/885-3832
Hours: Wed-Sat 10am-4pm Seasonal Info: Closed all major holidays Transportation: Bus: 34 Prices: Free admission

Books

Old Fort Lowell / By Caroline Mary Hughston ; drawings by Geo. M. Mastick.
F819 .F54 H8x


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If you would like to know more about the author of this site, Jeffrey Scott, feel free to visit his homepage.
In addition, if you have any questions about this site or Arizona History, feel free to e-mail Jeffrey