What Is the History of Fort Whipple?

If you've driven past the VA campus in Prescott and wondered about those old buildings on the hill, you're looking at one of the oldest stories in the area. Fort Whipple is a U.S. Army post that came before Prescott itself. According to the Sharlot Hall Museum's Days Past archive, the first Fort Whipple was established near Del Rio Springs, some 20 miles north of Prescott, on December 23, 1863. It moved to Granite Creek in May 1864, later became a hospital, and today the grounds are home to the Bob Stump VA Medical Center.

Let's walk through how a frontier fort turned into the medical center you can see today.

General Carleton named the outpost in honor of Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, the surveyor who had crossed northern Arizona along the 35th parallel in 1853 to 1854, and who was shot at Chancellorsville in 1863 during the Civil War. We told the story of Whipple's survey in how Chino Valley got its name, so here we'll pick up where the fort begins.

The first Fort Whipple sat near Del Rio Springs, north of present-day Chino Valley. A Days Past article by Mick Woodcock notes that the Governor's Party arrived on January 22, 1864, and that Governor John Goodwin used the fort as his base while he visited the territory to decide where the capital should go.

The spot had a problem, though. It was too far from the gold panning on Lynx Creek and too far from timber for building. Once the site for Prescott was chosen, the fort was ordered closer to the mines and the new capital. According to the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System's own history page, Fort Whipple was permanently relocated to its current site near Prescott in May 1864, along Granite Creek. The old site was renamed Camp Clark.

That's why Fort Whipple and Prescott grew up side by side. The VA history page notes that the fort served to protect settlers and miners around the new territorial capital.

The first buildings on Granite Creek didn't last. A Days Past article by Al Bates explains that in 1872 the original buildings and stockade were torn down, and more permanent frame buildings went up on higher ground about 70 feet above the creek. Woodcock's article adds that the rebuilt post became known as Whipple Barracks, a name it kept until 1886, when department headquarters moved to Los Angeles.

Here are a few of the moments that stand out from those years, all from the Days Past archive:

The Bates article also notes that by the spring of 1877, the weekly dances held each Wednesday had become a Prescott institution. The fort wasn't just a military post. It was part of town life.

By the 1890s the old buildings had worn down badly, and in the autumn of 1897 the post was scheduled for deactivation. Then history stepped in. According to Bates, the officer sent to close the post was on hand April 25, 1898, when Congress declared war on Spain. Four days later he became a mustering officer and began enlisting 200 men for the Spanish-American War. The captain of Troop A of the Rough Riders was William O. "Buckey" O'Neill.

After that, the fort sat inactive until 1902, when the Army moved in a company of infantry, and rebuilding started a few years later. Bates wrote in 2012 that many of the buildings put up between 1905 and 1908 were still in use.

When Arizona became a state in 1912, Fort Whipple was declared obsolete, and almost everyone but caretakers and a few hospital staff left. But the fort had one more chapter ahead.

In May 1918, the Army reopened Whipple, not as a fort but as a general hospital and tuberculosis sanatorium. Here's how the VA's own history page traces what came next:

• 1920: The property was lent to the U.S. Public Health Service and ran as Hospital #50, Whipple Barracks, Arizona, mainly treating former soldiers with tuberculosis.
• 1922: It was transferred to the newly established U.S. Veterans Bureau.
• March 4, 1931: It was officially transferred to the newly formed Veterans Administration.
• October 1939: The main hospital, Building 107, opened to receive patients.
• 1964: The VA celebrated the 100-year anniversary of Fort Whipple.
• April 17, 2004: The medical center was renamed the Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, honoring Congressman Bob Stump.

Here's the part we love. The fort didn't disappear. Its grounds are still in daily use, serving veterans more than 160 years after the post moved to Granite Creek. Bates wrote that Fort Whipple lives on at the Fort Whipple Museum, in one of the 1909 officers' quarters on the grounds, run as a joint project of the Sharlot Hall Museum and the Bob Stump VA Medical Center. Hours can change, so check with the Sharlot Hall Museum before you go.

If you want to dig deeper, the Sharlot Hall Museum in downtown Prescott keeps a large archive of Days Past articles on the region. Here's what you can see at the Sharlot Hall Museum.

A lot of the people we meet first fell for the Quad Cities on a day of exploring just like this one: a stop at the fort, lunch downtown, and a drive back through Prescott Valley. If you're thinking about a move, we're glad to help you build a timeline for your visits, so you can see the area in more than one season without feeling rushed. Here's what to know before you relocate to Prescott.

When was Fort Whipple founded?
The first Fort Whipple was established near Del Rio Springs, some 20 miles north of Prescott, on December 23, 1863. It moved to its site along Granite Creek near Prescott in May 1864.

Who was Fort Whipple named after?
Lieutenant Amiel W. Whipple, who led the 1853 to 1854 survey along the 35th parallel and named Chino Valley. General Carleton named the outpost in his honor after Whipple was shot at Chancellorsville in 1863.

What is Fort Whipple today?
The grounds are home to the Bob Stump VA Medical Center, part of the Northern Arizona VA Health Care System. The facility was transferred to the Veterans Administration on March 4, 1931.

Is there a Fort Whipple Museum?
Yes. The Fort Whipple Museum is in one of the 1909 officers' quarters on the VA grounds, run with the Sharlot Hall Museum. Check with the Sharlot Hall Museum for current hours before you visit.

Was Fort Whipple connected to Arizona's first capital?
Yes. Governor Goodwin used the first fort as his base while choosing where the capital would go, and the fort moved to be near Prescott once the site was picked. Here's when Prescott was the capital of Arizona.

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