Fort Dalles

Fort Dalles was a United States Army outpost located on the Columbia River at the present site of The Dalles, Oregon, in the United States. Built when Oregon was a territory, the post was used mainly for dealing with wars with Native Americans. The post was first known as Camp Drum and then Fort Drum.ConstructionThe first post was built on a site which overlooked an encampment used by Lewis & Clark in October 1805. This post was built in 1838 by the militia of the Oregon Provisional Government under the command of Henry A. G. Lee during the Cayuse War and was named Fort Lee. The post was built at the site of the former Wascopam Mission operated by the Methodist Mission.In the fall of 1849 United States Army troops arrived in the new Oregon Territory. This rifle regiment occupied the now-abandoned Fort Lee at Wascopum (now The DallesOregon Territory]] on the Columbia River. A log fort was constructed in 1850 under the supervision of Major Tucker, and named Camp Drum. When the United States Congress changed the land requirements for Army forts to 1sqmi from 10sqmi, suddenly Camp Drum's tiny military contingent could control the land it required. Although no stockade was built around the post, Camp Drum became Fort Drum on May 21, 1853, and then Fort Dalles on June 21, 1853.