Old Fort

Source: Ingersoll, L.A. 1904, Ingersoll's Century Annals of San Bernardino County
L.A. Ingersoll, Los Angeles, California. Pages 132-135; 640-641

THE FORT OF SAN BERNARDINO

    During the years of 1850-51-42, the Utes, Chemehuevis and other desert Indians made frequent raids throug the San Bernardino mountain passes into the coast valleys, in which they drove off much stock and committed other depredations. In the fall of 1851 there was a wide-spread fear of a general uprising among the Indians, and unuusal preparations were made to meet it. A troop of United States Volunteers was stationed on the coast, and a few troops were located at Chino Ranch. A volunteer company under Gen. J. H. Bean was organized and went out against the Indians. The Mormons may have lost some stock, at any rate they decided to build a fort somewhat after the plan of the stockade that had been built at Salt Lake on the arrival of the Mormons at that point.

    The following description of this fort is furntered by Hon H.C. Rolfe: "The Fort built by the San Bernardino colonits in the fall of 1851 was a palisade enclosure, or stockade on the east side and the two ends, made by splitting the trunks of cottownwood and large willow trees in halves, roughly facing them on the split side, straintening the edges so that they would fit closely as they stood upright stide by side. These stakes were set some three feet into the ground and stood about twelve feet high--with the form of a parallelogram about three hundred feet in width by seven hundred feet in length. Small one-story houses of logs and adobes were built inside the long rows parallel with the stockage leaving some sixteen or eighteen feet clear space between each. The west side of the enclosure was made up of houses which had been built in various places before the necessity of fortification was realized and which were moved and placed with their outside walls adjoining as to form a tight wall. Or, where this could not be done, seperate barricading walls of logs laid up in blockhosue fashion were constructed so as to complete the stockade. There was not stockade outside these houses. Many of the houses were merely continous rows of rooms, the end walls forming partions, while others were separate houses.

    The principal entrace to the Fort was on the east side. This was located a little south of the center and the gates were made to open outward. Another gateway opened on the west side and one on the north end. The stockade at these gates turned ino at right angles eight or ten feet, and was provided with loopholes for protection.

...

    Within the Fort, a stream of water was brought for domestic purposes through a ditch from Garner's Springs or Lytle Creek. Had this water supply been cut off, water could easily have been obtained by digging wells twelve or fifteen feet deep. In the northeast corner a canvas pavillion was put up and used for school purposes, William Stout being the teacher, and also for church services. A small house used as a business office stood south of the pavillion, and still further south and within the line of houses was a three-roomed house which was used for storage purposes. In the southeast corner and in the northeast coerner were a few scattered houses, there not being room to place all of the houses in line.   One of the houses was rebuilt from the ruins of an old adobe ranch house that had been erected during the Mexican occupation.

    A great many wagon beds with canvas covers, such as were used by the overland emigrants, were taken from the running gear and placed in convenient proximity to the houes for use as sleeping apartments. These made very comfortable substitutes for more commodious household accomodations.

    Somewhat more than a hundred families occupied the Fort, together with a number of men without families and also a number of men without families and also a number of families that included several grown men. There were at least one hundred and fifty, a probably more able-bodied men capable of performing good service in repelling an attack. The military organization was very simple, it being merely a division into three companies with their respective captains, and without other officers. Jefferson Hunt, as senior captain was in command of the whole. Vigilant guard was kept at night. Uncle Grief, a colored man, had a large tin horn, about six feet long, with which he used to make music for his own amusement. He acted as bugler and blew his horn to assemble the men or for other purpose, accprding to different signals which had been adopted and were understood by all. Many times were all hands called out by the sound of Uncle Grief's horn. Everyone knew something about the use of firearms. With few exceptions all were tolerably expert in this line, and a number of the first settlers were "crack shots." Most of the men were well supplied with arms of their own, but to supply any deficiency a lot of muskets and of ammunition was sent to them from the small garrison of regular soldiers then stationed at Chino." A carefully compiled list of the occupants of the "Old Fort" will be found in the chapter on Pioneers.

Old Fort

OCCUPANTS OF THE "OLD FORT"
Located by Number on Plat.

28	Aldridge
24	Andres, Simeon
27	Blackburn, Abner Blackburn, Thomas
63	Brown, John, Sr. Bybee, Alfred Burk, Charles
50	Button, Montgomery E.
70	Casteel, Jacob Crimson, Charles
37, 38, 39, 40	Crosby, William (Bishop) Crandel, Charles
40	Cox, A. J. (kept restaraunt) Cox, William J. Collins, Albert W. ("Peter") Cook, John
67	Cummings, Albert Carter, Orlando Davidson, J.J
66	Daley, Edward
33	de Lin, Andrew P. Dixon, David Egbert, Robert
"R"	Fabun, Clark S. (wagon shop) Fabun, Clark S. (residence)
36	Falke, Mrs. (Widow William) Garner, GEorge
53	Glazer, Louis (residence)
54	Glazer, Louis (store) Grundy, Isaac
51	Benjamin F.
2	Hakes, W.V.
30	Harris, John Sr. Harris, Moses (had two sons, Silas and Johmn, with families
58	Hoagland, Lucas (later Addison Pratt)
48	Hofflin, Saumuel
36	Hopkins, Richard R. (kept store) Holladay, John
61	Hunt, Captiain Jefferson (two sons, Gilbert and Marshall)
62	Hunter, Captain Jesse Hyde, William Hude, Joseph Jones, David Kartchner, William D.
25, 26	Lee, Rupert J. Lytle, Captain Andrew
4	Mathews, Joseph Mills, William
5	Mathews, William Miner (kept store)
74	Miner (store) Mclivane, Jerry McGee, Henry Ray
D, E, F	Rich, Charles C. (Apostle)
31	Rolfe, Samuel
35	Rolfe, Gilbert E.
68	Rollins, Henry (residence)
69	Rolins, Henry (store)
22	Seeley, David
1	Shepard, Lafayette Shepard, Samuel (father of Lafayette)
65	Sherwood, Henry G. Sparks, Q.S.
64	Stoddard, Sheldon
32	Stuart, John Sullivan, Archie Swarthout, Truman Stout, William (first school master) Smith, Bill Summee, Gliber (blacksmith) Taft, Daniel M.
72,73	Tanner, Albert Tanner, Joseph Tanner, Freeman (Brothers-in-law; of Amasa Lyman)
60	Tanner, Sidney
71	Tanner, Mrs. ("Mother" Taylor Tenney, Nathan C. (Bishop) Thomas, Daniel M. Thorp, Theodore Tyler, U. U. Turley, Theodore
42	Whitney
2	Meeting House and School
P	Office of Lyman & Rich
oo	Tithing House and Store
A, B, C	Lyman, Amasa

The above are names of adults, most of them heads of families.
The following persons did not see fit to live inside the "Old Fort." They
made a camp on the spot now occupied by the old cememtery, about
opposite the Moses Garner place:

Blackwell, Hiram
Casteel, Joshua
Clark, Francis
Hanks, George
Hughes, John
Jones, Alonzo
Phelps, John
Smithson, Barlett, and family
Holladay, David
Taylor, Norman
Taylor, Elmer
Taylor, "Old Man"
Welsh, Mathew