Fort Lowell, a military post established in 1862 near downtown Tucson, was moved to this location in 1873. One of many active forts on the Arizona frontier, it also served as a major supply depot and influenced the economy and social life of the community. At its peak in the 1880's, three companies of infantry and two troops of cavalry, more than 250 officers and soldiers, were stationed here. The need for Fort Lowell steadily declined after Geronimo's surrender in 1886, and despite local protest, the army closed it in 1891.