Fort Morgan, Colorado: February 2011

Monday, February 28, 2011

Colonel Christopher A. Morgan

The fort was named to honor the late Colonel Christopher A. Morgan, an aide-de-camp for General Pope. (Note: A number of sources mistakenly attribute the fort’s name to Major Christopher A. Morgan of the 1st Illinois Cavalry and some state that Morgan was the first commander of the fort – this is incorrect.) Morgan had no direct connection with the fort , but as the fort – and later the town – was named for him, a slight digression is warranted. Frank Hall described the man and his demise:

Tuesday, February 1, 2011

Troops at the Fort

In all, 26 companies of soldiers were stationed in and around the Fort Morgan area from 1864 until 1868.

The first troops were Companies C and H of the 1st Colorado Cavalry stationed at Camp Sanborn near Orchard. Later, Companies C and F of the 11th Ohio Cavalry were sent to the area to protect the Overland Mail route.

Historic Overview

From my youth I brought with me only a vague impression of the history of the small town in which I was raised. Fort Morgan, Colorado, built on the site of a short-lived military fort in the heart of the great American desert; a fort that had never been attacked, never seen a battle. On little more than a whim I went in search of the fort’s operational dates (1864-1868), expecting this information would come readily to hand and that would end my curiosity - the fort once again fading into the midst of vague memory. To my surprise, I instead found a door opening to the history of the west.

The history of Fort Morgan will never rival that of Denver or glisten with the same gold dust of the mountain mining towns, but this little town on the plains of Colorado was central to the story of the Romantic west; it's story connecting with the major events of the age. Everyone has a history and every place is central to a story. What follows is the story from the land - of the land - on which Fort Morgan would rise.