Fort Thornburgh

Fort Thornburgh existed because the Utes were forced to Utah. After the 1879 White River fighting in Colorado — which killed Major Thomas Thornburgh, the fort's namesake — the White River and Uncompahgre bands were expelled to reservations in the Uinta Basin, and in 1881 the army planted a post, first near Ouray, then at the mouth of Ashley Creek northwest of here, to keep them on that land. The War Department planned a real fort; Congress never paid: soldiers wintered in tents, built eight adobe buildings, and left by 1884. Fort Duchesne replaced it in 1886.

What the plaque says

Fort Thornburgh Military Reserve was located one half mile west and one mile north of this marker and named in honor of Major J. N. Thornburgh who was killed in the Meeker Massacre in 1879. During the summer of 1881 the military troops were established in Ashley Canyon for protection against Indians moving to Fort Thornburgh in December 1881. The fort was abandoned in 1884 and part of the supplies taken to Fort Bridger. In 1886 Fort Duchesne was established about ten miles south of the Whiterocks Indian School.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Utah Field House of Natural History — 2.7 mi
  A dinosaur museum with life-size replicas in an outdoor garden
• Vernal — 2.7 mi
  The self-proclaimed Dinosaur Capital of Utah
• Steinaker State Park — 3.9 mi
  A warm-water reservoir popular for swimming in the desert heat
• McConkie Ranch Petroglyphs — 6.3 mi
  Massive Fremont-era rock art panels on private ranch land open to visitors

More markers nearby

• Reynold's Flour Mill — 0.4 mi
• Old Ashley Post Office (2) Markers — 1.5 mi
• First Log House — 1.7 mi
• Uintah Stake Tithing Office (2) Markers — 2.4 mi