Show famous forts in U S history dy by ELMO SCOTT WATSON WATSO L 0 im western News newspaper union A fort that once was a territorial capital among tile hie military posts established by tile tie federal government fort IVI whipple Opple in arizona Is one of the few that can boast of linking having been a center of civil dall ns as military government anti that it once served the state in which it stands as is a territorial capital it wits was built in near granate creck cieck by maj K N 13 willis of col james 11 Carle tons famous I column and it was established there to help hold the southwest for fir the alie union after carleton had driven tile the confederates out it was bained mimed in honor of drig gen amiel weeks whipple who in his youthful military career had bad explored a part of the wilderness of arizona before the lie civil war var and who lost liu hij life at the buttle battle of chancellorsville in january 1864 jolin john N goodwin in governor eo vernor of the llie newly created territory of arizona arrived pt ot fort foit whipple anil and designated it ns as the temporary capital cap in may the fort was ts moved about 20 brilles sout southwest invest to its present location and by july thero bad sprung tit up near it a thriving little town which was wai named prescott in lionor honor of the distinguished historian during the following years ears there was waa a spirited rivalry between prescott and tucson for the honor of being capital of arizona eventually both lost nut fit to phoenix but for a long time prescott seemed to have the better claim partly because of its nearness to fort whipple the center of military affairs in the territory in 1869 fort whipple was nindo made headquarters of the military department of arizona and southern california and there in 1872 came gen george crook to subdue the hostile apaches who had terrorized the southwest from tile the days of the earliest white occupancy fort whipple at that time ans described by one of crooks officers as a ramshackle tumbled down donn pall palisade sade of un barked pine logs loga hown hewn from froin the adjacent forest slopes which wits supposed to command something exactly what it Is not known for it was so dilapidated that every time the wind blew we were afraid it was waa doomed 11 unimpressive as tile old fort wag waa however it deserves a place in history if for no ether reason than th that it it was wag the base of operations of crooks campaigns against the apaches as brilliant tin an achievement as any in the lie annals of the lie american which brought brou glit a grei iter period of pence to the hurried harried horder border than it had known for centuries bodny to day fort whipple Is if only one of a number of posts which the war department maintains in ili tile the west whose glo glory ry UPS tn in the lie past when tile the red ninn man rode tho war trail against the whites |