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Fort Thomas (2) (1876-1892) - A U.S. Army Fort established in 1876 near present day Town of Fort Thomas, Graham County, Arizona. Named Fort Thomas after Brigadier General Lorenzo Thomas (Cullum 342), Adjutant General, who died on 2 Mar 1875. Abandoned in 1892. Also known as New Post on the Gila and Camp Thomas (2).
History of Fort Thomas
First established by Captain Clarence M. Bailey, 8th U.S. Infantry, on 12 Aug 1876. Initially located on the site of the present day town of Geronimo, Graham County, Arizona. The site was selected by then Colonel August V. Kautz (Cullum 1570), 8th U.S. Infantry as a replacement for nearby Fort Goodwin. The mission of the garrison was to remove the Chiricahua Apaches to the San Carlos Reservation.
The new post was first named New Post on the Gila and then on 18 Sep 1876 as Camp Thomas. In 1878 the post was moved to the site of the present day Town of Fort Thomas still as Camp Thomas (2). In February 1882 the post was designated Fort Thomas. It became a sub-post of Fort Grant (2) in 1890 and was ordered closed on 10 Apr 1891.
Although the post was ordered closed on 10 Apr 1891, it remained garrisoned until May 1892. It was transferred to the Interior Department on 3 Dec 1892 for disposal. The town of Fort Thomas adjacent to the post was said to be filled with brothels and saloons and had a bad reputation.
Fort Thomas (2) Partial Commanders List (edit list)
| Assumed
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Relieved
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Rank
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Name
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Cullum
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Notes
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| 1876-08-12
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1877-09-25
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Captain
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Bailey, Clarence Mitchell
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N/A
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| 1877-09-25
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1878-04-06
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1st Lt.
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Powell, James W.
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N/A
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| 1878-04-06
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1878-07-29
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Captain
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Bailey, Clarence Mitchell
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N/A
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| 1878-07-29
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1878-10
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1st Lt.
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Abbott, Lemuel Abijah
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N/A
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| 1878-12-24
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1880-07-16
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Captain
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Stacey, May Humphreys
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N/A
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His diary of Beale's Camel Expedition is online.
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| 1880-07-16
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1880-08-07
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1st Lt.
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Touey, Timothy Arthur
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2576
|
|
| 1880-08-07
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1881-07
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Major
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Perry, David
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N/A
|
|
| 1881-09
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1881-11
|
Captain
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Worth, William Scott
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N/A
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| 1881-11
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1881-12
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Major
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Perry, David
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N/A
|
|
| 1882-02
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1882-07
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Lt. Colonel
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Brackett, Albert Gallatin
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N/A
|
|
| 1882-08
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1883-04
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Lt. Colonel
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Evans, Andrew Wallace
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1561
|
|
| 1883-06
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1883-09
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Captain
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Vroom, Peter Dumont
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N/A
|
|
| 1883-10
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1883-11
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Captain
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Morton, Charles
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2297
|
|
| 1883-12
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1885-04
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Major
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Purington, George Augustus
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N/A
|
|
| 1885-05
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1886-07
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Major
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Mills, Anson
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N/A
|
|
| 1886-08
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1887-04
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Major
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Van Vliet, Frederick
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N/A
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| 1887-04
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1887-10
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Major
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McLellan, Curwen Boyd
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N/A
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| 1887-10
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1888-09
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Major
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Van Vliet, Frederick
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N/A
|
|
| 1888-10
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1888-12
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Captain
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Lee, Phillip Ludwell
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N/A
|
|
| 1888-12
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1891-01
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Captain
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Lebo, Thomas Coverly
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N/A
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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.
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Current Status
 Camp Thomas "Geronimo" Marker, Marking the Site of Camp Thomas. The site of the first Camp Thomas is identified by a marker near the intersection of Black Lane and Hwy 70 near the ghost town of Geronimo, A marker titled "Geronimo" describes the first camp location.
 Fort Thomas High School Site of Fort Thomas. The second site is reportedly plowed over across the highway from the Fort Thomas High School. Reportedly some of the post buildings still survive in private hands.
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Location: Town of Fort Thomas, Graham County, Arizona. The Fort Thomas map point is approximate. The Camp Thomas map point is the marker location.
Maps & Images
Lat: 33.03559 Long: -109.962459
- Multi Maps from ACME
- Maps from Bing
- Maps from Google
- Elevation: .....'
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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 47.
- Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 16.
- Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 12-Continued.
- Post returns available Aug 1876 - Jan 1891 at Ancestry.com (by Subscription)
Links:
Visited: 10 Mar 2016
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