Fort Stevens (Oregon) Facts for Kids

Quick facts for kids Fort Stevens
Warrenton, Clatsop County, Oregon

Type	Military base
Site information
Controlled by	United States Army
Condition	Preserved
Site history
Built	1863
In use	1863-1947
Materials	Concrete, steel
Battles/wars	World War II attack
Events

Fort Stevens
U.S. National Register of Historic Places

Location	Fort Stevens State Park, Hammond, Oregon
Area	542 acres (219 ha)
Built	1863 (1863)
NRHP reference No.	71000678
Added to NRHP	September 22, 1971

Fort Stevens was an important military base in Oregon. It was built to protect the mouth of the Columbia River. The fort was named after Isaac Stevens, a general who died in the American Civil War. He was also a former governor of Washington Territory.

Fort Stevens was used by the military from 1863 to 1947. Today, it is a preserved historical site. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Fort Stevens: A Look at Its Past
Fort Stevens State Park
Fort Stevens in Media
- Television Appearances
Gallery
Images for kids
See also

Fort Stevens: A Look at Its Past

Building the Fort

Interior of the abandoned fort

Fort Stevens was built between 1863 and 1864. This was during the American Civil War. It started as an earthwork battery, which is a type of fort made of earth. It was first called the "Fort at Point Adams."

In 1865, it was renamed Fort Stevens. This honored Isaac Stevens, a former governor of Washington. He had died in battle.

Protecting the Columbia River

Fort Stevens was the main base in a group of three forts. These forts protected the mouth of the Columbia River. The other two forts were Fort Canby and Fort Columbia. Both of these are on the Washington side of the river.

The fort was first built to guard against possible attacks from Britain. This was during a time of tension between the two countries. It was also important during the Alaska Boundary Dispute. This was another time when Britain and the United States had high tensions.

The Peter Iredale Shipwreck

In 1906, a sailing ship called the Peter Iredale got stuck. It ran aground on Clatsop Spit. The crew found safety at Fort Stevens. You can still see parts of this shipwreck today. It is located within the Fort Stevens State Park.

World War II and Beyond

After World War I, the U.S. Navy set up a radio station at Fort Stevens. This helped them talk to their ships. In 1932, a secret radio station was also added. It was used to listen to coded messages from the Japanese navy.

On the night of June 21-22, 1942, a Japanese submarine I-25 attacked Fort Stevens. It fired 17 shells at the fort. This was the first time a military base in the Contiguous United States was attacked by an enemy in World War II.

The attack did not damage the fort itself. It only destroyed the backstop of the fort's baseball field.

After World War II, Fort Stevens was closed in 1947. All the weapons were taken away. The buildings were sold. The land was then given to the Oregon Parks and Recreation Department.

Fort Stevens State Park

Most of Fort Stevens is now part of Fort Stevens State Park. This park is also part of the Lewis and Clark National Historical Park. The park is very large, covering about 3,700 acres.

Visitors can enjoy camping, beach access, and swimming at Coffenbury Lake. There are also many trails to explore. The park has a military history museum.

The campgrounds offer different types of sites, including ones for RVs. There are also yurts and cabins. Most of these are pet-friendly. The park has over nine miles of paved bike trails. You can also go fishing. Visitors can see the historic shipwreck and take tours of the old military batteries.

Fort Stevens in Media

Television Appearances

Fort Stevens was shown on a TV show called Ghost Adventures. The episode was named "Graveyard of the Pacific: Commander's House." It aired in 2018 on the Travel Channel. The ghost hunters explored Battery Mishler. This is one of the fort's old artillery stations with underground tunnels. People have reported seeing a shadow figure in the Magazine room there.

The fort is also said to be haunted by a soldier named August Stallberger. He was mysteriously killed while on duty in 1868.