Historically, Fort Crook refers to two early forts, both named in honor of Civil War Gen. George Crook.
The first fort, built in 1857 near Fall River Mills, Calif., protected travelers on the Shasta to Yreka Road and the Lockhart Ferries. The second Fort Crook opened near Omaha, Neb., in 1891, and later became the Offutt Air Force Base.
The Siskiyou County version first carried the name Camp Hollenbush, but was renamed Fort Crook after the famous Civil War general. Crook had first served at Fort Jones in Siskiyou County as a 25-year-old lieutenant in command of Company D, 4th Infantry. He led a number of campaigns against Northern California Indian tribes, although he frequently blamed settlers and miners for stirring up violence and bloodshed. He was severely wounded in one of his expeditions.
The fort originally consisted of log buildings enclosed by a 12-foot-tall, pine-pole stockade. It shut down in 1869. The Fort Crook Historical Society formed in 1934 to preserve the fort’s fading history.
Today the society’s museum contains a number of historical buildings, including the Fort Crook Cabin, the last remaining structure from inside the stockade.
Sources: "Fort Crook Museum." Fort Crook Museum. Fort Crook Historical Society, July 2015. Web. 17 May 2016.
