In 1853, the same year native Americans began a series of uprisings in Northern California, the U.S. Army established Fort Humbolt off of the northern California coastline in Eureka, California. After the Mexican American War Ulysses S. Grant was stationed at Fort Humbolt. However, Grant had meager funds at the time and was unable to transport his wife and his children with him to the northern California redwood coast.
General Grant drank excessively while stationed at Humboldt. When his superior caught him drinking, after ordering him not to do so, Grant was given the option to be court martialed or to resign from the U.S. Army. Ironically, Grant submitted his resignation to Jefferson Davis, the Secretary of War at the time, a few years before the Civil War began. Years after the fort closed in 1870, a statue of General Grant was erected at Fort Humbolt.
Now the former Fort is park of the California State Park system as Fort Humboldt State Historic Park.
The former hospital is the only original structure within Fort Humboldt.
Hamilton Historical Records 