Cantonment Wright

Cantonment Wright (1861-1862) - A U.S. Civil War era Camp established by 1st Lieutenant John Mullan, (Cullum 1550), 2nd U.S. Artillery, in 1861 near present day Milltown, Missoula County, Montana. Named Cantonment Wright after Colonel George Wright, (Cullum 309), 9th U.S. Infantry, then in command of the Department of Oregon. Abandoned in 1862.

John Mullan Statue and Cantonment Wright Marker at Milltown, MT.

History

Established by 1st Lieutenant John Mullan in 1861 as a construction camp built during the construction of the 624-mile Mullan Wagon Road between Fort Benton, Montana and Fort Walla Walla, Washington.

The cantonment had six crude log cabins from which Mullan and his men built a two hundred and thirty-five-foot long log bridge with four spans across the nearby Blackfoot River. The camp was located near a trading post established by Frank Worden and Christopher Higgins in 1860 that became known as Hell Gate. The bridge survived for only a couple of years before high water destroyed it. Many replacements bridges were built.

Mullan abandoned the cantonment on 23 May 1862 and departed for Fort Benton.

Current Status

Marker and statue located on Montana route MT-2000 at Exit 109 of Interstate 90 near Milltown.

Context

Location: Near Milltown, Missoula County, Montana. Cantonment
map point is the GNIS coordinates and may not be accurate.
Lat: 46.873° Long: -113.89° Elevation: 3' Bing, Google, OldMapsOnline, USGS, OHM

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See Also:

Mullan Road

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 479.
Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 75.
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1781314

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