Fort Daviswas aUnited States Armypost established in theNome Census AreaofAlaskain 1900. It was named for GeneralJefferson C. Davis,the military commander of Alaska from 1868 to 1870.
TheNome Gold Rushled to unrest fromclaim jumping,claim filing errors, and a general lack of authority. The Army was sent to theNomearea to maintain order.[1]Before Fort Davis was established, soldiers from the port of St. Michael were sent to maintain order in Nome.[2]St. Michael was a transit harbor for theKlondike gold rushand due to its growth during the rush, a military fort was built there in 1897.[3]
Fort Davis was abandoned around 1917[4]or possibly later based on other sources.[5]
Demographics
editCensus | Pop. | Note | %± |
---|---|---|---|
1910 | 180 | — |
Fort Davis appeared once on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated military installation. Owing to its deactivation around 1917, it was not reported again.
Gallery
edit-
Barracks at Fort Davis, 1900
-
Blueprint of Nome and Fort Davis 1908
-
Map of fort itself 1909
-
Parade in Nome 1908 showing soldiers
References
edit- ^Orth, Donald J.Dictionary of Alaska Place Names.Washington, DC:Government Printing Office,1967. p 87.
- ^"Alaska History and Cultural Studies - Northwest and Arctic - Chapter 4
1897-1920 GOLD ".www.akhistorycourse.org.Archived fromthe originalon 2006-02-25. - ^"Community Information Summaries: Saint Michael".Alaska Community Database.Juneau, AK: Commerce, Community, and Economic Development. Archived fromthe originalon June 24, 2011.RetrievedAugust 5,2011.
- ^Alaska Digital Archives
- ^Finding aid for the William A. Moore collection at the Alaska State Library Historical Collections[1]or the finding aid for the Ole Christian Nerby collection at the University of Alaska Anchorage Archives and Special collections[2]
64°29′00″N165°19′00″W/ 64.48333°N 165.31667°W