Fort Egbert facts for kids
Fort Egbert was a U.S. Army base located in Eagle, Alaska. It was active for about 12 years, from 1899 to 1911. Today, some of its original buildings are still standing and are preserved for visitors to see.
A Look Back
Fort Egbert was built in 1899. This was during the exciting time of the Klondike Gold Rush, when many people rushed to Alaska and Canada looking for gold. The fort became the main headquarters for the U.S. Army in the area known as the District of Alaska.
U.S. President William McKinley named the fort after Colonel Harry C. Egbert. Colonel Egbert was a brave soldier who sadly died in battle in March 1899 in Manila.
The base was built right next to Eagle Bluff. This is a rocky spot that looks over Eagle, a mining town along the Yukon River. Eagle was very close to the border between Canada and the United States. The town of Eagle was actually started on military land. It was placed under the fort's control until a regular local government could be set up. Eagle was no longer under military rule starting July 23, 1900.
Fort Egbert was also chosen to be the first station for an important project. This was the Washington-Alaska Military Cable and Telegraph System, or WAMCATS. This was a network of telegraph lines that connected Alaska with the rest of the United States. The first part of this system was finished in October 1900. It ran from Dawson City in Canada's Yukon Territory to Fort Egbert. Another part was finished on August 24, 1902. This connected Fort Egbert with Fort Liscum in Valdez.
In 1905, a famous Norwegian explorer named Roald Amundsen used Fort Egbert's telegraph station. He used it to tell the world that he had successfully traveled through the Northwest Passage. This was a huge achievement!
Fort Egbert was mostly closed down in 1911. However, a small group from the Army Signal Corps stayed behind. They continued to run a station there until 1925. That year, their wireless station, which had replaced the old telegraph lines, sadly burned to the ground.
Today, five of the original buildings from Fort Egbert are still standing. They are looked after by the Bureau of Land Management.
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