Fort Stevens (Oregon)

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Fort Stevens guarded the mouth of the Columbia River in Oregon. Named for slain Civil War general Isaac Stevens, it was an active military reservation from 1863–1947. This fort was the only military installation in the continental United States to receive hostile fire during World War II. On the night of June 21, 1942, a Japanese submarine fired 17 shells at it, but caused no damage. (See Attacks on United States territory in North America during World War II.) Like many others in the Pacific Northwest, the fort was built to defend the mouth of the Columbia from potential British attack during ongoing regional tensions related to the San Juan Islands Dispute of 1859-70, and remained relevant during the Alaska Boundary Dispute when British-American tensions were high and once again on the brink of war.

Built near the end of the American Civil War, Fort Stevens and its gun batteries protected the river until shortly after World War II. It was the primary military installation in the Three Fort Harbor Defense System at the mouth of the Columbia. The other two forts in the system were Fort Canby and Fort Columbia (Washington).

Fort Stevens is preserved within Fort Stevens State Park, part of Lewis and Clark National and State Historical Parks.