Fort Cameron!

Fort Cameron / Murdoch Academy
Landmark #327 Beaver County Visited: December 21, 2011 Plaque?  YES! 🙂
What is it? A plaque marking the US Military post of Fort Cameron!
What makes it historical? THE PLAQUE SAYS: Established as the post of Beaver, May 25, 1872, by 8th U.S. Infantry, Major John D. Wilkins, commanding. The military reservation, declared May 12, 1873, comprised two and two-thirds square miles. The name was changed July 1, 1874, to Fort Cameron, in honor of Colonel James Cameron who fell at Bull Run, July 21, 1861. The post was abandoned May 1, 1883, and the improvements sold to John R Murdock and Philo T. Farnsworth. The L.D.S. Church conducted there the Beaver branch of the Brigham Young Academy (later University) from 1898 to 1922.

OTHER TIDBITS: The people of Beaver weren’t too sure about these military newcomers! Sure, they promised to keep hostile Native American warriors at bay and to investigate the Mountain Meadows Massacre earlier that year, but it had also only been 14 years since the US military had marched on Utah to strip them of their self-determination as a territory! It was not a long drawn-out war with more propaganda than gunfire, but I imagine it made meeting the neighbors awkward!

How can I Help the Helpers? HERE’S HOW:

  • Volunteer with the Daughters of Utah Pioneers!
  • Buy something from the DUP online store!
  • Be a responsible visitor! Please respect the signs and pathways, and treat all structures and artifacts with respect. They’ve endured a lot to survive into the present. They’ll need our help to make it into the future!
How do I find it? Listed Directions:
Mouth of Beaver Canyon (23 miles E. Hwy 153)
Beaver, UT 84713

Annotations:
The plaque is at the southeast corner of Main Street and 200 North!

From Beaver: ~0mi (0km) — 0hrs
From Moab: ~236mi (380km) — 4hrs
From Salt Lake City: ~199mi (321km) — 3.4hrs
From St. George: ~104mi (168km) — 1.8hrs

When should I go? Whenever the mood strikes you!

Click here to see more Utah historical landmarks!

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