This was the first tangible presence of the federal government or any civil authority in the Rogue Valley. Unlike, say, the stereotypical Western vision of Fort Apache, the primary mission of this fort was to protect the Indians from the whites in that period of time.
Once the gold rush came, white settlement of the Rogue Valley was a quick bloom, and conflict with the Indian population was almost instantaneous.
The pioneers were basically clamoring to kill off the Indians or have them moved out of here.
