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Col. Patrick Connor                 Mrs. Connor

    Colonel Patrick Connor was the commander of the California troops sent to Utah to ensure the security of the overland routes of communications between California and the rest of the Union states. He later was in charge of most of the inter mountain west, and his wife eventually joined him here at Fort Douglas.  Her joy at being at Fort Douglas is evident from her portrait.
    Connor later  allowed his soldiers to search for gold and other mineral deposits in nearby areas.  This further angered Brigham Young who insisted that the Mormon settlers stick to the essential tasks of growing crops instead of wasting energy on searching for gold.

Captain Hempstead was post adjutant under Col. Connor, and also editor of the "Vedette" newspaper published at Fort Douglas, which was a "gentile" option to the Mormon church controlled Deseret News Newspaper (which did not like the Army's presence.)

Distinguished or Interesting Visitors

• 1880 President William H. Taft [insert photo of him standing on porch next to Connor and post commander]
• 1928 Col. (later General of the Army) George C. Marshall
• 1947 General of the Army Dwight D. Eisenhower- promised the University of Utah they could have large portions of the fort to support the many veterans then attending the U of U.

Soldiers and Others

    Soldiers seldom achieved the fame of their officers, and most remained obscure or almost unknown.  One such solider is Private William Gentles who was part of Gen. Johnston's army sent to keep an eye on the Mormons in 1857, a later killed the famous Indian chief Crazy horse.  Click here to learn more.

Interior of a Barracks circa 1885-1895

An unidentified  Private of the 24th Infantry, stationed at Fort Douglas from 18xx to 19xx.  There were four units in the U.S. Army composed of African American soldiers and white officers.  These were the 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry.  Two of these (9th Cavalry and 24th Infantry) were stationed at Fort Douglas at various times.  Reportedly the Indians used the term :Buffalo Soldiers" to refer to these troops due to the resemblance of the tightly curled hair with that of the buffalo, and the determination of the soldiers.

Circa 1901 gathering of officers' wives at a Utah National Guard encampment, perhaps at Fort Douglas, or maybe at another location in the state.

Circa 1865 soldiers standing in front of the post headquarters, one of the early adobe structures.

Artillery practice circa 1870 with two mountain howitzers.  The Utah National Guard was equipped with one of the newest types of artillery when they were organized following statehood in 1896.  Artillery units from Utah played important roles in every U.S. military conflict from the Spanish American War to Desert Storm.

Copyright © 2000-2001 All rights reserved.
Fort Douglas Military Museum Association
Revised: 10 May 2001.