Fort Davis, Alaska

Fort Davis was a United States Army post established in the Nome Census Area of Alaska in 1900. It was named for General Jefferson C. Davis, the military commander of Alaska from 1868 to 1870.

The Nome Gold Rush led to unrest from claim jumping, claim filing errors, and a general lack of authority. The Army was sent to the Nome area to maintain order.[1] Before Fort Davis was established, soldiers from the port of St. Michael were sent to maintain order in Nome.[2] St. Michael was a transit harbor for the Klondike gold rush and due to its growth during the rush, a military fort was built there in 1897.[3]

Fort Davis was abandoned around 1917[4] or possibly later based on other sources.[5]

The name was first published in 1967 and entered into the Geographic Names Information System on March 23, 2001.[6]

Demographics
Historical population
CensusPop.%±
1910180—

Fort Davis appeared once on the 1910 U.S. Census as an unincorporated military installation. Owing to its deactivation around 1917, it was not reported again.

  • Barracks at Fort Davis, 1900
  • Blueprint of Nome and Fort Davis 1908
  • Map of fort itself 1909
  • Parade in Nome 1908 showing soldiers

References
  1. Orth, Donald J. Dictionary of Alaska Place Names. Washington, DC: Government Printing Office, 1967. p 87.
  2. http://www.akhistorycourse.org/articles/article.php?artID=66
  3. https://web.archive.org/web/20110624225034/http://www.commerce.state.ak.us/dca/commdb/CIS.cfm?Comm_Boro_Name=Saint%20Michael. Archived from the original on June 24, 2011. Retrieved August 5, 2011. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. Alaska DIgital Archives
  5. Finding aid for the William A. Moore collection at the Alaska State Library Historical Collections or the finding aid for the Ole Christian Nerby collection at the University of Alaska Anchorage Archives and Special collections
  6. USGS GNIS Feature Detail Report: Fort Davis


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