This Day in History, March 9

1900    Fort Sherman officially terminated
Established in 1878 at Camp Coeur d'Alene, on March 9, 1900, Fort Sherman was officially closed.  Fort Coeur d'Alene was never much of a military presence but more of an outpost.  By the time it was built "indian problems" had ended with the defeat of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce in 1877. 

The first time troops were sent from Ft. Sherman was in 1892 when conflicts between mine owners and labor unions erupted in the Silver Valley to uphold martial law.   Most of the garrison was moved to Ft. George Wright in Spokane in 1895.  the last deployment from Ft. Sherman was sending troops to the Spanish American War in 1898. 

While General William Tecumseh Sherman certainly picked a picturesque location, high spring waters occasionally flooded the fort, the worst in 1894.  The surrounding area grew into a town and the lakes and rivers became trade routes and tourist destinations.  Nice place, but not for a military fort.