Fort Duchesne

The soldiers who built this fort were Black, and those they came to watch were Ute. In 1886 two troops of the Ninth Cavalry — Buffalo Soldiers — rode six hundred miles to raise Fort Duchesne on the Ute reservation and police it. It was hard duty: the men faced prejudice from their commander, and the Utes watched an armed post rise in their midst. Yet these soldiers faced down a Colorado militia to escort a Ute band safely home. When the Army left in 1912, the fort became what it remains: the headquarters of the Ute Nation.

What the plaque says

August 20, 1888, two companies of Colored Infantry commanded by Major F. W. Benteen and four companies of infantry under Captain Duncan arrived at this site to control the activities of Indians. There were three bands of Utes-uncompahcres, Whiterivers and Uintahs. The troops hauled logs from nearby canyons, built living quarters, commissary, storehouses and hospital, thereby establishing Fort Duchesne. Abandoned in 1912, now headquarters for the Uintah Reservation.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Utah Field House of Natural History — 21 mi
  A dinosaur museum with life-size replicas in an outdoor garden
• Vernal — 21 mi
  The self-proclaimed Dinosaur Capital of Utah
• Steinaker State Park — 23 mi
  A warm-water reservoir popular for swimming in the desert heat
• McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs — 26 mi
  Massive Fremont-era rock art panels on private ranch land open to visitors

More markers nearby

• Northern Ute Veterans Memorial — 1.4 mi
• Fort Robidoux — 2.0 mi
• Roosevelt — 7.4 mi
• LaPoint Post Office — 8.7 mi