Early Explorers through Fort Morgan

The early history of Fort Morgan is unclear, but there is some evidence that French and Spanish explorers and traders were in the vicinity of Fort Morgan. In the 17^th and 18^th centuries, the Spanish and French fought for control over most of the western United States. On this map made in 1663, Fort Morgan lies in the highlighted area just over the word “Apaches” along what is labeled as the Padouca River.

Settling the Land

In 1866, Colorado's first bid for statehood passed Congress, but was vetoed by President Andrew Johnson who cited concerns with Colorado’s population:

The population [of Colorado] is small; some estimate it as low as twenty-five thousand, while the advocates of the bill reckon the number at from thirty-five thousand to forty thousand. The people are principally recent settlers, many of whom are understood to be ready for removal to other mining districts beyond the limit of the Territory, if circumstances shall render them more inviting

Guides to Gold

During the summer of 1859, an estimated 30,000 to 60,000 emigrants flooded into the Rocky Mountains in search of gold and the majority of the “Fifty-Niners” or “Pikes Peakers” traveled through the Fort Morgan area. Frank Root, a messenger for the Overland Stage described the route during the early 1860s when the Pikes Peak Gold Rush was in full swing:

The writer counted, from his seat on the stage-coach, along the Platte, between Fort Kearney and old Julesburg, in one day, during the civil war, nearly 900 wagons – to be exact, 888 – destined westward on the great overland route. These wagons were drawn by no less than 10,650 animals – cattle, horses, and mules.

Irrigating the Desert

Starting in 1872, the land around Fort Morgan began a dramatic change. Canals were constructed to bring the water from the South Platte River and the creeks feeding the river to the land. By 1889, about 150 miles of irrigating canals were complete and many of the canals are still in use today. A history of irrigation in Morgan County can be found in Lyman Baker's book Morgan County Colorado: What Ten Years of Irrigation has Done for a Part of the Colorado Desert and a later book by J. M. Dille Irrigation in Morgan County.

Fremont's Orchard

On the Overland Trail of the 1860s, the station west of Bijou Creek was Fremont’s Orchard named for one of the early explorers through the area, Captain John C. Fremont. The station lay approximately 20 miles from the Junction (Fort Morgan) and south of the South Platte River near modern-day Goodrich.

Attack on the Trail: October 1865

Fort Morgan (Wardwell) was most active in 1865 dealing with attacks along the South Platte River Trail in retaliation for the Sand Creek Massacre in November, 1864. Towards the end of 1865, as many as 11 companies of men from the 3rd and 5th U. S. Volunteer Infantry (Galvanized Yankees), the 13th Missouri Cavalry, and the 21st New York Cavalry were based at Fort Wardwell. These men protected supply trains and emigrants along the route.

Press Release: New Book Links Fort Morgan, Gold Rush

A new history of Fort Morgan links the town with the Colorado gold rush, the Civil War, and western expansion of the 19th century. The book titled In View of the Mountains: A History of Fort Morgan, Colorado covers the history of the Fort Morgan area from about 1700 to 1889 including the military history of the fort.

The book was written by a native of Fort Morgan, Jennifer Patten, currently a university professor living near St. Louis. On her blog, she writes about the project: “From my youth I brought with me only a vague impression of the history of the small town in which I was raised… 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... To my surprise, I instead found a door opening to the history of the west.”

Going Postal

Fort Morgan lies on what is often referred to as the Overland Trail, the road taken by the Central Overland California and Pike’s Peak Express Company to deliver mail to Denver in the early 1860s. The trail roughly followed along the south side of the South Platte River. There had been other mail services beginning in 1859, but Ben Holliday’s COC&PP soon became the primary service.

Custer and Fort Morgan

General George Custer was in the Colorado/Kansas area in 1867. There is no evidence that he was ever at Fort Morgan, but he would have been in the area with the 7th U. S. Cavalry chasing Cheyenne as part of what was known as the Hancock Expedition (after General Winfield Hancock). As part of the Hancock Expedition, troops from the 7th U.S. Calvary were stationed at Fort Morgan under the command of Captain Michael Sheridan (brother of General Philip Sheridan).

The Fort

The building of Fort Morgan began in March, 1865 on the orders of Colonel Thomas Moonlight. He wrote to Colonel Samuel Browne, then commanding the 1st Colorado Mounted Militia:

Herewith inclosed [sic] please find plans* for the erections of fortifications quarters &c. at Junction, American Ranch & Spring Hill. I understand that Maj. Talbot, has the one for Valley Station. You will cause these works to be erected at once, for this purpose you will cause, every man not on other active duty to be employed in this manner. If you deem it necessary to detail an Officer who has experience in Engineering, do so, and keep him going from point to point, reporting to you the progress. A spirit of emulation should be encouraged among the Companies in this important work, the points indicated by Maj. Bennett will be strictly observed. This may require the changing of Station of Companies. Report weekly by letter the progress of work.