[8] In retaliation, a small group of volunteer soldiers and vigilantes led by Maj. William Ormsby attacked the Native Americans, starting the so-called Pyramid Lake War.

[9] Captain Stewart, leading the Regular contingent, afterward established a permanent US Army fort along the Carson River near the location of where the hostilities began at Williams Station.

Built to provide protection for early settlers and the mail route along the Pony Express, the fort became an important supply depot for the Union Army during the American Civil War.

With aid from the National Park Service, the fort ruins were partially restored to a state of arrested decay, and the Civilian Conservation Corps built the current visitor center.

This corridor connects Fort Churchill with Lahontan State Recreation Area and provides habitat for diverse plants and wildlife.

[12] The visitor center has exhibits on the history of Fort Churchill, Native Americans that inhabited the area, and natural features of the surrounding countryside.