Fort Defiance (4)

Fort Defiance (1851-1861) - Established 18 Sep 1851 by Colonel Edwin V. Sumner to patrol the Navajo Territory after several treaty attempts failed. Major Electus Backus built the sod and log fort. The post was abandoned on 28 Apr 1861 at the beginning of the U.S. Civil War. It became an Indian Agency in 1868.

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Links:
 * Fort Defiance
 * From the Indian point of view
 * An interesting description of the fort in 1857 is found in Beale's Report, August 26, 1857