Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-12-16

- ORT DOUGLAS. or, as It was
- known in the early days, Camp
Douglas, was founded Oct. %,
1862, by Major General Patrick
T.. Common, L. s. A., at that time
colonel, with brigadier's command,
Immediately following his march
through salt Lake City from west OF
the Jordan with a force Of Nevada and
California volunteers, numbering 700
men. including the Third California in
fantry and the Second Nevada cavalry.
General Conner led his men to the
east bench as a rendezvous, and on the
present location Of the post set them
10 building dugouts for shelter from the
inclemenCies OF the weather From
this camp the troops were afterward
occasionally called 10 war against the
Indians along the Bear and Humboldt
rivers. where the redskins were attack
ing emigration trains, and committing
other depredations. one Of these fights
was the memorable one on the Bear
River when General Connor killed
some go Indians, and put the rest TO
flight. General Connors command lost
II killed and 40 wounded, one of the
latter dying later,
Lieutenant Darwin Chase also subse-
guently died from his wounds at Camp
Douglas and was buried with military
and masonic honors at Pennington,
where he had formerly been Nor
nor" Elder.
From Dugout Period.
In the spring of 1868, General Conner,
through a misapprehenslon Of the stu
alton, planted cannon pointed toward
this city from the military reservation,
watch oecasioned considerable feeling
among the residents Of salt Lake. Good
will. however. was subsequently re-
stored and the cannon removed. The
size Of the military post slowly in
creased, and each year witnessed a
.radual development from the dugout
period to one IN which the garrison
was more comfortably housed. But Il
was not until 1875, in the last year OF
Grants administration, that any marked
step was taken towards making OF
Fort Douglas a post In any way COM
lnensurate with the importance OF the
location. Up TO that date, the COM
m0uest kind Of frame structures had
been the "princely accommodations
chm ncterizing the physical equipment.
But in 1875, the present headquarters
OF the commanding officer and the cir
Gle Of double quarters for officers, were
built These were Of stone, rather
gorgeous edlflces for the time, though
much out Of date at present Six
stone barracks were also built at the
same tlme-palatlal affairs compared
with the earlier accommodations, but
naueht moro than shacks at present.
Only Part of the Money.
In fact, Fort Douglas remained prao-
tlcally unchanged from the reJuvena-
ton period o. 1875 until three years ago,
when a scteme was seriously proposed
TO spend over a million dollars on the
pos and make It the headquarters for
i2-comIany regiment OF infantry and a
squadron Of cavalry, or two batteries
Of light artillery, and perhaps all three,
The needs OF the post had been called
time and again TO the attention Of the
military committees of both houses Of
Congress by the reports OF the war de-
plrtment. But appropriations went to
more favored localities, and Fort Dou-
glas was left out In the cold However,
with Utah e entrance to the family Of
states, and with two representatives, in
the senate and a voting member In the
house, the outlook became brighter.
The Spanish war delayed for a few
years proposed improvements, but In
1902 and following strong recommended
tions from army officers. the scheme
referred TO was launched in Congress.
That the original plan has not been
carried out, may be said to be due to
the uncertainties always attendant
upon political ire resulting IN a con-
centrating of the interests Of those
upon whom the success Of the plan de-
pended, in other directions, so that but
a part OF the entire appropriations In
tended for this post were made How
ever, they were enough to largely re-
model and rejuvcnate the post, so that
It IS by no means the eye sore It was,
and the accommodations are vastly SUI
perlor to any ever enjoyed previously.
What Was Done.
A construction quartermaster, Cap
tain S, V. Hamm, was sent here two
years and half ago, to open an Of,
fee In the Dooly building, and the era
OF reconstruction began. Three splen-