Camp Nichols
United States historic place in Wheeless, Oklahoma. Added to the National Register in 1966, and a National Historic Landmark.
What it is
Camp Nichols, also known as Fort Nichols or Camp Nichols Ranch, was a short-lived historic fortification located in present-day Cimarron County, Oklahoma, about 3 miles (4.8 km) northwest of the community of Wheeless, Oklahoma. It was built by New Mexico and California volunteers under the command of Col. Kit Carson to protect travelers on the most dangerous part of the Cimarron Cut-off of the Santa Fe Trail from raids by the Kiowa and Comanche Indians. Established in May 1865 and abandoned in September 1865, it was the only human-made structure along the Cimarron Cut-off while it was an active route. It is believed to have been named for Captain Charles P. Nichols of the First California Cavalry.
Text from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
The record
| Property type | Site |
| Address | 3 mi. NE of Wheeless on Ranch Rd., Wheeless vicinity, OK |
| County | Cimarron County |
| Listed | Oct 15, 1966 |
| Reference number | 66000628 |
| Type of place | fort |
| Designations | National Historic Landmark |
| Contributing resources | 1 sites |
The nomination form, the document that argues why this place matters, is in the National Archives: Read the nomination ↗
Visiting
| Address | 3 mi. NE of Wheeless on Ranch Rd., Wheeless, OK |
| Coordinates | 36.75451, -102.92675 · Directions ↗ |
| Nearest national park unit | Capulin Volcano National Monument · 58 mi · on Park Atlas |
Explore
Map
Nearby in Cimarron County
Reference
Sources
Location, dates, type and contributing counts come from the National Park Service's National Register spatial data. Construction date, architect, style, photograph and encyclopedia link come from Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons, matched on reference number 66000628. Nothing here is transcribed by hand. The description under "What it is" is the opening of the Wikipedia article, CC BY-SA.