Northern Arizona VA Health Care System and Fort Whipple - History

A number of cultures have occupied the area surrounding Prescott and the Fort Whipple Military Reservation.    Among the cultures thought to have existed in the general area are the Prescott Branch Patayan and the Southern Sinagua peoples.  These peoples are thought to have existed in the area 500-1300 A. D.  In more recent times the Yavapai tribe occupied the area. The Yavapai are thought to be upland Yuman with affiliations with the Walapai and Havasupai tribes.  The Yavapai peoples had little contact with Anglos until the 1860s when gold was discovered in the Prescott area.  

The Northern Arizona VA Healthcare System has played a significant role in the history and development of northern Arizona.  Originally named Fort Whipple, this site has served as a tactical base for the United States Cavalry during the Indian Wars of 1864 to 1882 transitioning to the headquarters of the Arizona Volunteers (Rough Riders) during the Spanish American War.  After the turn of the century, Fort Whipple was converted to a tuberculosis sanatorium during WW I and was transferred to the Public Health Service in 1920 for continued use as a hospital for disabled veterans.  In the early 1930s, the facility was transferred to the newly created Veterans Administration as a general medical / surgical hospital.  The site is still locally referred to by its original designation as Fort Whipple.

The Fort Whipple Museum is located on the grounds of the Bob Stump Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center.  Housed in one of the early 1900’s officer’s quarters, the museum is distinguished by its historic yellow and green paint scheme.  Exhibits feature the history of the original fort and its subsequent conversion to a veteran’s hospital.