Camp Floyd State Park Museum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Camp Floyd State Park Museum |
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| Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum | |
Camp Floyd Commissary and Museum, June 2015
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 Camp Floyd State Park Museum
Location in Utah
Camp Floyd State Park Museum
Location in the United States
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| Location | Fairfield, Utah, United States |
| Elevation | 4,877 feet (1,487 m) |
| Established | 1964 |
| Named for | Camp Floyd |
| Governing body | Utah Division of Parks and Recreation |
| Website | |
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Camp Floyd Site
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Camp Floyd Cemetery, June 2009
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| Location | Fairfield, Utah United States |
| Area | 40 acres (16.2 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 74001939 |
| Added to NRHP | November 11, 1974 |
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Stagecoach Inn
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Stagecoach Inn, June 2015
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| Location | 69 West Main Street Fairfield, Utah United States |
| Area | 1.4 acres (0.6 ha) |
| NRHP reference No. | 71000857 |
| Added to NRHP | May 14, 1971 |
Camp Floyd State Park Museum is a cool place to visit in Fairfield, Utah. It used to be called Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum. This park helps us remember an important time in Utah's history.
The park includes a small part of the old Camp Floyd army base. It also has the historic Stagecoach Inn and the Fairfield District School. You can learn about soldiers, travelers, and students from long ago here.
Contents
What Can You See at Camp Floyd?
The park's main office is at the Stagecoach Inn. All parts of the park are less than three-quarters of a mile (1.2 km) away. The park has three main areas to explore. These are Camp Floyd, the Fairfield District School, and the Stagecoach Inn. Each of these places is important enough to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
This special park shows how Utah was settled. It also tells the story of early disagreements with the United States government. The park is open most days from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
How Did Camp Floyd Park Start?
The Carson family gave the Stagecoach Inn to Utah in 1958. They wanted it to be fixed up and used as a museum. The state also got the old army supply building and the cemetery.
By the 1950s, the supply building was falling apart. Local people had even taken parts of it for other uses. The roof was gone by 1948.
The army cemetery was fixed up and opened in 1960. The inn and the supply building were also restored by 1960. The park officially opened to visitors on May 16, 1964.
Camp Floyd: An Army Base in Utah
Camp Floyd was built in July 1858 by the U.S. Army. It was named after John B. Floyd, who was in charge of the army at the time. More than 3,500 soldiers and workers lived there. This was the biggest group of soldiers in the United States back then.
President James Buchanan sent these troops to Utah. He thought there might be a rebellion by the Mormon settlers. This event is known as the Utah War.
The army marched all the way from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. They spent the winter of 1857 in Fort Bridger, Wyoming. The troops arrived in Salt Lake City, Utah, in June 1858. Soon after, they settled in Fairfield.
By November 1858, they had built 400 buildings. These included barracks for soldiers and officers' homes. There were also warehouses and other buildings. Photos from 1859 show these buildings were made of adobe. Many civilians followed the army, making Fairfield a large town.
The rebellion never happened. So, the army's job was to protect the area. They guarded stagecoach and Pony Express routes. They also helped prevent attacks and mapped the land.
Life at Camp Floyd
Getting supplies to Camp Floyd was very expensive. It was 1,100 miles (1,800 km) from Fort Leavenworth. Some people thought the Secretary of War, John B. Floyd, was trying to waste government money. He was known to support the Southern states.
A company called Russell, Majors and Waddell brought supplies. They needed 3,500 wagons and 40,000 oxen. They also used 1,000 mules and over 4,000 men. This same company later started the Pony Express. Fairfield had a Pony Express station.
In December 1860, Secretary Floyd left his job. Camp Floyd was then renamed Fort Crittenden. It was named after Senator John J. Crittenden. He worked hard to keep Kentucky from leaving the Union.
The army left Camp Floyd in July 1861. The soldiers were needed back East for the American Civil War. Army equipment and buildings were sold or destroyed. Today, only the military cemetery and one supply building remain. Just two months after the army left, only 18 families stayed in Fairfield.
A 40-acre (16 ha) area of the old camp is now a historic site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. The cemetery was the only part of the camp left then.
Fairfield District School
The Fairfield District School is a historic schoolhouse. It was built in 1898. This school was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1987. You can find it at 59 North Church Street.
Stagecoach Inn: A Historic Stop
The Stagecoach Inn was also known as the John Carson House. It was a hotel and a stop for stagecoaches. Stagecoaches carried people and mail across the country. This inn was the first stop south of Salt Lake City on the main route.
The inn was used until the transcontinental railroad opened in 1869. The railroad made stagecoaches less necessary. From 1860 to 1861, the inn was also a stop for the Pony Express. The Stagecoach Inn and the area around it are a State Historical Site. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.
Images for kids
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Camp Floyd Cemetery, June 2009
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Stagecoach Inn, June 2015
