In 1878, the United State Congress authorized the establishment of a military post at the present-day site of downtown Pagosa Springs. The center of the post was between Lewis Street on the north and San Juan (Main Street) on the south. The center of the fort was approximately located in the alley behind the Catholic Church. It was rumored one of the local utility companies (while doing a locate) uncovered the base of the flagpole. The post was to protect the new settlers to the region. Of course, the Indians wanted to remain on the lands that had been their ancestral home for hundreds of years. But others wanted to settle on these lands and were drawn to the region because of the fine timber available for logging, rich lands for farming and ranching, and the beauty of the area with its natural abundance of hunting and fishing.
On October 15, 1878, troops or the 15th Infantry arrived in Pagosa Springs and established the post, which would be called Camp Lewis. The was in honor of Colonel W. H. Lewis, who was killed in battle with the Cheyenne Indians in Kansas on September 28, 1878.
The commanding officer of Camp Lewis was authorized to “select the most suitable ground and proceed to erect buildings for your cantonment. The necessary work was to be done by the labor of the Troops. Plans & Specifications for the buildings were herewith enclosed…Stables and Corrals & Shops are to be built of logs and of dimensions to suit the requirements of the cantonment. It is necessary that this work be pushed ahead as rapidly as possible so that the work may be completed before winter,”
The soldiers settled into their day-to-day routine. They were not called upon for any major skirmishes with the Indians in this area. However, they were called to northern Colorado in 1879 to assist after the Meeker Massacre. Fearing the Northern Utes would join with the Southern Utes in conflict with the settlers, General Phil Sheridan recommended the fort be moved to a more central location in the San Juan Basin. On August 15, 1880, General John Pope ordered the fort to be relocated to a site on the La Plata River near present day Durango. On January 21, 1881, it was ordered the new post was to be called Fort Lewis, thus Camp Lewis would become the “Old Fort Lewis” and would later be named Pagosa Springs.1
The cabins of the Old Fort Lewis were disassembled log by log by the settlers and reassembled as their homes in various parts of the area. The other remaining piece of Old Fort Lewis is a desk which can be found at the Western Heritage Center south of Pagosa Springs.
In addition to Fort Lewis being named after Colonel W. H. Lewis, Lewis Street also bears his name.
- Pierce, Shari. “Pagosa Springs Colorado, A Brief History” 2003, San Juan Historical Society.