Talk:Fort Monroe (Yosemite)
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[edit]A few points to bear in mind about Fort Monroe: there is no evidence one way or the other that Monroe ever used Fort Monroe as a full time home, but he evidently stayed there very often and hosted the travelers. This was an era in which people could live on federal land more or less legally, the title to be acquired later. This is known as preemption and had an important role in the history of Yosemite in several ways. Fort Monroe was located just outside the 1864 Yosemite Grant, and was thus legally occupied by George Monroe. In summary, in other words, it was "his" even if he did not have clear title. (Ostrander's and Peregoy's are two other examples of the same situation.) When he died, as the main article said, it kept his name, partly out of honor and partly out of habit. Several buildings evidently were put up and taken down over the years (foundations are still in evidence), and there was an automobile camp site. It thus kept the name as a general site, even if the original buildings were gone, like any village or town that keeps a name even as the original buildings come and go.
Although it is not commonly known, among old timers it is. I myself know an old horse packer who knows right where it is.