Fort Tejon

Fort Tejon
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Fort_Tejon".

content

This article has multiple issues. Please help improve the article or discuss these issues on the talk page.

It needs to be expanded. Tagged since October 2007.

Parade ground at Fort Tejon, California, June 2006. The restored barracks are at left and the commanding officer's quarters are at the center, to the right of and behind which are stabilized but unrestored officers' quarters. Split rail fences outline the foundations of buildings that have not been rebuilt.

Fort Tejon, California, is a former United States Army outpost which was intermittently active from June 24, 1854 until September 11, 1864. It is located in the Grapevine Canyon (La Cañada de las Uvas) area of Tejon Pass along Interstate 5, the main route through the mountains separating California's Central Valley from Los Angeles. The fort's location protected the San Joaquin Valley from the south and east. It's mission was to suppress stock rustling and protect white settlers from attacks by Native American tribes, including the Paiute and Mojave, and to monitor the less aggressive Emigdiano living nearby. The Emigdiano, who were closely related to the Chumash of the Santa Barbara area, had several villages near Fort Tejon and were generally cooperative with the European settlers and the Army.

Fort Tejon was the headquarters of the First U.S. Dragoons until those regular army troops were transferred to the East in July 1861 upon the outbreak of the American Civil War. The fort was re-occupied by California volunteer troops in 1863. Those units included Companies D, E and G of the 2nd California Volunteer Cavalry from July 6 to August 17, 1863 and Company B of the 2nd California Volunteer Infantry, which remained there until Fort Tejon was abandoned for good on September 11, 1864. ¹

From 1858, Fort Tejon was the western terminus of the experimental US Army Camel Corps, which utilized the imported animals in an effort to carry supplies across arid regions in the Southwest.

The great earthquake of 1857 that became known as the Fort Tejon earthquake was in fact centered nowhere near Fort Tejon. The fort became associated with the earthquake simply because the area near the epicenter was sparsely populated and the most reliable report of the shaking was issued from the fort, nearly 93 miles (149.7 km) distant.

Fort Tejon is now Fort Tejon State Historic Park, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Its original historic buildings have been documented by the Historic American Buildings Survey. Several buildings have been restored, and two are partially open to visitors. The restored barracks contain display cases of uniforms and a recreated troopers' quarters. The commanding officer's quarters have several restored and furnished rooms. Officers' quarters nearby are only stabilized in a state of arrested decay, with walls buttressed by masonry and lumber and tied together with reinforcing rods. A quartermaster building has recently been erected and houses materials used in Dragoon life and Civil War reenactments. Several unrestored buildings are denoted by split rail fences along the outlines of their foundations. A park office with Dragoon life exhibits and restrooms is at the east end of the parade ground near the parking lot by Interstate 5.

Fort Tejon is the site of frequent Civil War reenactments presented by the Fort Tejon Historical Association.²

References

^ http://www.civilwararchive.com/Unreghst/uncacav.htm#2ndcav accessed 11-11-08
^ Fort Tejon State Historic Park pamphlet, State of California, Department of Parks & Recreation, Sacramento, California, 1991.

East end of the restored barracks building. The unrestored kitchen/mess hall is outlined by split rail fence to the left.	Barracks interior showing soldiers' quarters.	The day room in the barracks.	Uniform items on display in the day room.
One of the several uniform displays in the barracks.	Model of Dragoon in the barracks.	View of the barracks from the front porch of the commanding officer's quarters. The split rail fence at the near end of the barracks denotes the foundation outline of another barracks yet to be restored.	The quartermaster building.
The interior of the quartermaster building showing materials used during Dragoon and Civil War reenactments staged at Fort Tejon.	The restored commanding officer's quarters.	A furnished room inside the commanding officer's quarters.	The dining room inside the commanding officer's quarters.
Bedroom for the children and servant on the second floor of the commanding officer's quarters.	Wolf rug in the adults' bedroom on the second floor of the commanding officer's quarters.	The roof of the commanding officer's quarters receiving new shingles, showing the detail of roof construction.	Officers' quarters. This building has been stabilized but not restored, and is not open to the public. The interiors may be viewed through the wire fencing.
Detail showing the interior wall bracing needed to stabilize the structure of the officers' quarters.