Fort Goodwin

Fort Goodwin (1864-1871) - First established in 1864 during the Apache Wars by Colonel Edwin A. Rigg, 1st California Volunteer Infantry, as Camp Goodwin during his expedition against hostile Apache Indians. Moved to a location near present day Bylas, Graham County, Arizona. Named Fort Goodwin after John N. Goodwin, Arizona's first territorial governor. Abandoned in 1871. History First established as Camp Goodwin, 11 Jun 1864 by Colonel Edwin A. Rigg, 1st California Volunteer Infantry some 32 miles east of the final location. Moved to a location south of the Gila River near the present day town of Bylas, Arizona. Established to control hostile Apache Indians and to protect settlers and travelers. Garrisoned by several regular army units after the 1st California Volunteer Infantry left in 1866. Abandoned as an unhealthy post on 14 Mar 1871 and turned over to the Department of Interior on 22 Jul 1884 for disposition. Became a subagency for the San Carlos Apache Reservation for a time in the 1880s. Fort Goodwin Partial Commanders List (edit list) Assumed Relieved Rank Name Cullum Notes 1866-05-18 1867-10-21  Major Chapin, Gurden 1518 Dates are formatted in yyyy-mm-dd to sort correctly. The Cullum Number is the graduation order from the United States Military Academy by year and class rank and links to a page for the officer on the website version of the Cullum Register. Listings without a Cullum Number indicate that the person was not a graduate of the United States Military Academy. Current Status No remains, private property, access with permission only, near Bylas, Graham County, Arizona. Location: Off U.S. Hwy 70 near Bylas, Graham County, Arizona. Maps & Images Lat: 33.08895 Long: -110.058145 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 2,648' See Also: Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 37-38 Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 13 Post returns available Oct 1882 - Jun 1900 at Ancestry.com (by Subscription) USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 23918 Links: North American Forts - Fort Goodwin Wikipedia - Fort/Camp Goodwin Legends of America - Fort Goodwin Visited: No