Camp Douglas was established in October 1862, during the American Civil War, as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, to protect the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. It was officially closed in 1991 pursuant to BRAC action and most of the buildings were turned over to the University of Utah. A small section of the original fort is still used by the U.S. Army Reserve and includes the Fort Douglas Military Museum. The fort was designated a National Historic Landmark in 1975, for its role in the Civil War and in furthering the settlement of Utah.

Early in the Civil War, the threat of violence increased with the withdrawal of Federal troops from the West for use against the Confederate States of America. Colonel Patrick Connor was ordered to reestablish a military presence with volunteer soldiers in the Utah Territory. He selected a site east of Salt Lake City, and Camp Douglas, named after Senator Stephen A. Douglas, was officially established there on Oct. 26, 1862. Connor’s men were Union volunteers from both California and Nevada. The post served as headquarters for the District of Utah in the Department of the Pacific. For more information visit the Fort Douglas website.