Fort Douglas, Stilwell Field, The portion of Fort Douglas bounded by De Trobriand Street on the north, Fort Douglas Boulevard on the east, Potter Street on the south, and Chase Street on the west., Salt Lake City

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS UT-4. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Stilwell Field is part of the Fort Douglas National Historic Landmark Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah. It is bounded by De Trobriand Street on the north, Fort Douglas Boulevard on the east, Potter Street on the south, and Chase Street on the west. Latitude: Longitude: (the northwest corner of the field, Google Earth, Simple Cylindrical Projection,

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS UT-4. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Stilwell Field has played an essential role at Fort Douglas from the founding of the base to the present stewardship of the Fort Douglas National Historic Landmark by the University of Utah. The parade ground is the core of the Fort Douglas NHL and a significant historic landscape in its own right within the context of the larger military reservation. It is the central organizing feature of the site, the nexus of the base road system, and the common area around which major buildings are arranged. The parade ground was the extended front yard of the officers quarters from the establishment of Camp Douglas as a frontier outpost until their final occupancy by the last resident officers in Officers Circle.

The prominent flagpole at the east end of the field is the focal point of the entire property. The flagpole s location dates from the establishment of the post. The parade ground was the hub of activity when Fort Douglas was a military post from its founding in to its final closure in Troops were mustered, drilled, and reviewed there. They gathered on it for recreation, sports, announcements, promotions, and mock skirmishes to demonstrate their skill to the public. Soldiers and members of the public assembled on the parade ground to hear concerts played by the post band from the bandstand in the semicircle of lawn in front of the officers quarters east of the parade ground. The parade ground continues to be used by the University of Utah for active recreation and public gatherings.

Description: The parade ground is a generally rectangular field with a separate semicircle adjacent to its east end divided from the main field by Fort Douglas Boulevard. The long axis is oriented northeast to southwest. The flagpole anchors the east end of the long axis with a visual connection across Fort Douglas Boulevard to the bandstand on center with the flagpole. The axis is further reinforced by the sidewalk leading to and around the bandstand across the lawns and roads on Officers Circle to the plaza in front of the Peterson Heritage Center. Looking west from the bandstand one sees the field s expansive lawn framed by trees STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 2 with a view to the distant Oquirrh Mountains over the treetops.

The field slopes down from northeast to southwest following the natural contours of the site which sits on a bench formed by a shoreline of ancient Lake Bonneville. The gradient becomes steeper toward the southwest end. This end follows the slight curvature of Chase Street making the field longer at the southwest corner than at the northwest corner. The field is approximately 394 feet wide by 619 feet long on the north and 674 long feet on the south. The edges of the parade ground are defined by the roads surrounding it on grade with the field, with vertical enclosure from the trees at the edge of the lawn and the historic post buildings across the roads on the north, east and south. Broken lines of shade trees stand on the perimeter of the parade ground.

Five black locusts (Robinia pseudoacacia) in fair to poor condition remain from the original trees planted in Other species are green ash, Siberian elm, western catalpa, ash species, American elm, and boxelder. Most are listed as being in good condition on the University of Utah campus tree inventory. The Siberian elms probably date from a planting of 500 elms done in cooperation with Utah State University during the Great Depression (Arrington, p. Several Japanese zelkovas have been planted recently to replace dead and declining trees. There are unfilled gaps in the plantings. The field is planted in turf grass. The trees and lawn are watered by an underground piped irrigation system.

They were originally watered by a network of ditches with water diverted from the streams flowing from Red Butte Canyon. The century water network included an artificial lake near the officers quarters. The first piped sprinkler system was installed in using water from the reservoir impounded behind the new Red Butte Dam built in The University of Utah Facilities Management Department maintains the turf in good condition for intensive use as a playfield and an event venue. Stilwell Field is used for intramural sports, sports camps, campus gatherings, and community events. It is aerated three times a year, mowed weekly, top dressed and overseeded with compost twice a year, and fertilized three times a year. Sod repair is done as needed.

Spot seeding is done as needed throughout the summer when it is heavily used for cheer camps. (Pope email History: Camp Douglas was established on a bench east of downtown Salt Lake City on October 20, by a regiment of California Volunteers under Colonel Patrick. E. Connor, the object being the protection of the overland mail route, then menaced by Indians (Billings, p. The parade ground was surveyed in by the soldiers under his command. The officers quarters and barracks were laid out in a U-shape around the parade ground with an open view to the STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 3 west across the Salt Lake Valley so Colonel Connor could keep an eye on the Mormons who were under suspicion by the federal government. Billings (p.

listed the parade ground s dimensions as 375 feet by 275 feet in his report, and located the wooden flag-staff at the center of the field s east side in his annotated sketch plan. He stated, The shade-trees at the post, which constitute a great ornament, were presented to Colonel Connor by Mr. Fox, a nurseryman of Salt Lake City, and were planted in the fall of An photograph shows a view east across what appears to be a treeless parade ground toward Officers Circle with the flagpole at its center in front of the post headquarters. Recently planted trees are clearly visible in front of the buildings along the south side of the parade ground in a second photo looking east from a slightly different viewpoint.

Colonel John Gibbon, who took command of Fort Douglas in diverted water from streams out of Red Butte Canyon for a system of water courses to irrigate the post s shade trees, lawns and gardens. He also created an artificial lake near the officers quarters that provided ice for the command and served as a skating rink. When Lieutenant Colonel H. N. Morrow took over the command from Gibbon in he enlarged the lake to five times its original size, set out three hundred more trees, and graded and graveled the garrison s roads and paths. (Fort Douglas Military Museum website) Camp Douglas became Fort Douglas in when it became important as a supply center for the cavalry during the Indian Wars.

A uniform row of well- canopied trees can be seen in an photo looking east from the parade ground toward Officers Circle. The growth of the trees around the parade ground continues to be documented in photos from the late into the Photos show a bandstand at the east end of the parade ground between the officers quarters and the flagpole as early as The original wooden bandstand burned down around The bandstand that replaced it was used for public concerts during the and The concerts ceased when the infantry was transferred to Texas in The University of Utah reconstructed the bandstand in using the original design documented in historic photographs. After World War II the Fort Douglas parade ground was named Stilwell Field in honor of General Joseph Stilwell, commander of all U.S.

forces in the China- Burma-India area during the war. He served as Chief of Staff to Chiang Kai- Shek, and was the first American General to command a Chinese Army. Stilwell Field continued to be used for military and public events until the final closure of Fort Douglas and the transfer of all but a small portion of the property still used by the Army Reserve to the University of Utah. The parade ground was the flag STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 4 field for the Athletes Village that was located at Fort Douglas during the Salt Lake City Winter Olympics.

The historic buildings at Fort Douglas were documented with measured drawings, photographs and written descriptions in a Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS UT-67 and They were recognized as an important collection of historic properties with their nomination and listing as a National Register historic district in The significance of Fort Douglas was further reinforced with its listing as a National Historic Landmark in The quitclaim deed transferring the Fort Douglas NHL to the University of Utah stipulates in paragraph 1 that the University perpetually preserve and maintain Fort Douglas, a property designated a National Historic Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior, in accordance with the recommended approaches in the Secretary of the Interior s Standards, using the most current version of the standards and guidelines.

Guidelines for the Treatment of Cultural Landscapes adopted in apply to Stilwell Field. Paragraph 2 of the quitclaim deed states that the University of Utah agrees to maintain, operate and preserve in accordance with the requirements of paragraph 1 above, the Army chapel and parade grounds.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS UT-4. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Arrington, Leonard J. and Thomas G. Alexander. The U.S. Army Overlooks Salt Lake Valley, Fort Douglas Utah Historical Quarterly 33 (Fall 326 Billings, John S., Assistant Surgeon, USA, A Report on the Hygiene of the United States Army with Descriptions of Military Posts. Washington, Government Printing Office, Fort Douglas Military Museum Archive, 32 Potter Street, Fort Douglas, Utah. Fort Douglas Military Museum website: http://www.fortdouglas.org/ Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Fort Douglas, Commander's Residence, HABS UT-68, Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS), Fort Douglas, Officers' Duplexes, Officers' Circle, HABS UT-67, Historic Fort Douglas at the University of Utah: A Brief History & Walking Tour (brochure).

University of Utah, National Register of Historic Places, Fort Douglas Historic District, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, NRIS STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 5 National Historic Landmarks Program, Fort Douglas National Historic Landmark, Salt Lake City, Salt Lake County, Utah, NRIS Pope, Sue, Grounds and Open Spaces Supervisor, University of Utah Facilities Management Department. Email to Susan Crook, March 2, Quitclaim Deed between the United States of America, the University of Utah and the State of Utah, Utah State Historical Society, Classified Photograph Collection, Photos No. Webb, Roy. Evolving Fort Douglas. Continuum Magazine, Fall Salt Lake City: University of Utah.

Source document Quoted word for word from HALS UT-4. Not written, edited or summarised by this site.

Susan Crook Io Landscape Architecture West Primrose Drive St. George, Utah March 28, STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 6 Existing condition of Fort Douglas parade ground looking east from midfield toward flagpole, bandstand and buildings on Officers Circle. (Rachel Lingard, Io Landscape Architecture, March 4, STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 7 Black locust (Robinia pseudoacacia) south side of Fort Douglas parade ground from original plantings. (Rachel Lingard, Io Landscape Architecture, March 4, STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 8 Siberian elm (Ulmus pumila) may date from depression-era plantings done with in cooperation with Utah State University. (Rachel Lingard, Io Landscape Architecture, March 4, STILWELL FIELD HALS NO.

UT-4 PAGE 9 Sketch plan of Camp Douglas from Surgeon General s report on camp hygiene showing officers quarters adjutant s office and barracks (E) surrounding parade ground. Flag- mast is at H. Fine dotted lines indicate irrigating streams. Note three streams around parade ground. (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 10 drawing shows location of flag mast at east end of parade ground in front of buildings. (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 11 photo shows bare parade ground looking northeast toward post headquarters. The flag mast seen in the drawing is replaced by a flagpole. (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO.

UT-4 PAGE 12 photo looking east shows recently planted trees staked along south edge of parade ground in front of buildings fronting on parade (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 13 The semicircular lawn at the east end of the parade ground is evident in this etching along with perimeter rows of trees (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 14 Bandstand is visible right of flagpole beyond double row of trees along sidewalk east of Fort Douglas Boulevard in this photo. (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO. UT-4 PAGE 15 Band in bandstand looking east from flagpole, (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No. STILWELL FIELD HALS NO.

UT-4 PAGE 16 Condition of parade ground lawn in photo of Wallace on horse with view to north. (Classified Photograph Collection, Photo No.