Fort Thomas’s history is
mostly unwritten
The public archives hold only 2 old photos of Fort Thomas. The rest are in attics, shoeboxes and the historical society. Help start the collection.
The story
from WikipediaRead it all ↗The earliest military presence in the area was former Camp Goodwin, constructed in 1864 and named for Arizona's first territorial governor, John N. Goodwin. The camp was abandoned after a short time due to failed buildings and malaria from a nearby spring. In 1876, the current site of the community was chosen as a "new post on the Gila," selected to replace Camp Goodwin during the Apache Wars. Initially, the site was named Camp Thomas in honor of Civil War Major General George Henry Thomas. Until 1882 the area would be known by several names including Clantonville, Camp Thomas, Maxey and finally Fort Thomas.
Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.
Timeline
built from the dates on the items belowStart Fort Thomas’s collection
The first neighbors to add old photos shape how Fort Thomas’s history is told.
0 of 10 decades since 1900 have photos 🗓️Date a photo1 archive item has no date+2 🔁Retake an old viewFort Thomas Arizona Picnic 1886, 1886: stand where they stood+15 📦Share a family photoSign in to add one+10Famous people from Fort Thomas
See all 1 →Fort Thomas, decade by decade
1990s
Nothing in Fort Thomas is on the National Register yet
That’s true of most small towns. It doesn’t mean Fort Thomas has no history, only that no one has written up a nomination. The closest listed place is Graham County Courthouse in Safford, 19.7 miles away.
Fort Thomas and the nearest listed places
How a place gets listed
Then & now
No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as Fort Thomas Arizona Picnic 1886 (1886) and it appears here side by side.
🔁 Retake this view · +15Stories next door
nearby towns’ historyFrom Wikimedia Commons (4). Images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.