South Dakota (admitted to the Union on November 2, 1889)
Post at Grand River Indian Agency
Located in that part of Dakota Territory that is now South Dakota, the Post at Grand River Indian Agency occupied a site near the Missouri River and the Grand River and was in use as a federal government administration center for Native American affairs from 1870 to 1875 ("Post at Grand River Indian Agency," Wikipedia), dealing with such matters as related, especially, to the Lakota Sioux, the post [facilitating] negotiations, [managing] treaties, [overseeing] the implementation of government policies concerning the Native tribes, [and] . . . distributing annuities, supplies, and rations to the tribes as stipulated in various treaties" ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
Camp Crook (1875-1950s)
After the Rapid City Mining Company was established in the Black Hills of Dakota Territory, Camp Crook (now Pactola, South Dakota) was set up by squatters who intended to mine the region's gold. The named the camp for General Crook, from whom the were in hiding and who later removed them, since they were illegally encamped in violation of the Treaty of Laramie. When the land was opened in February 1876, the miners returned, and Camp Crook boomed. Not only were many claims recorded and a flume constructed, but a store, a post office, and the Sherman House hotel (later a stagecoach station), and a number of log cabins were built. Sherman built the hotel named for himself a year after he became trapped in Camp Crook during March 1876. The town endured until the early 1950s, when flooding caused it to be submerged under Pactola Lake ("Pactola, South Dakota," Wikipedia).
Fort Outlook
Located along the Missouri River in Dakota Territory, Fort Outlook was not only well fortified, but it also provided "unparalleled views of the surrounding landscape [that allowed] . . . early detection of approaching forces or potential threats." It was also a refuge for civilians and the site of military "operations, strategizing, and troop rest" during occasional tensions between the U. S. government and the Dakota Sioux. ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts)
Fort Meade (1878-1944)
Like Camp Crook, Fort Meade (originally Fort Sturgis), which occupied a site near Sturgis, founded in 1878 and incorporated in 1888), in that part of Dakota Territory that is now South Dakota, to protect settlers in the Black Hills, many of whom had been lured by the discovery of gold in the region. Taking advantage of the safety provided by the fort, "several stage and freighting routes passed through Fort Meade en route to Deadwood" ("Fort Meade, [South Dakota]," Wikipedia), and the fort's soldiers were also involved in "various regional conflicts and interactions with Native American tribes," ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts), including the Indian Wars (1609-1890), the Ghost Dance War (1890-1891), the Wounded Knee Massacre (1890), and the Ute uprising (1906-1908) ("Fort Meade, [South Dakota]," Wikipedia).
As the Historic Forts website article notes, "The fort was home to the 7th Cavalry band, which, in 1892, became one of the first to play the national anthem at the official flag-raising ceremony, . . . a precedent, [that] . . . eventually [led to] the tradition of playing the [']Star Spangled Banner['] at military and public events spread throughout the nation." A historical marker commemorates the event:
On this parade ground in 1892 "The Star Spangled Banner" got its impetus to become the National Anthem. Colonel Caleb Carlton of the Eighth Cavalry was post commander and with his wife discussed the need for a National Air. At her suggestion he concluded that it should be "The Star Spangled Banner" whereupon he required that it should be played at retreat and at the close of parades and concerts.
General wrote in 1914: "When Governor Sheldon of South Dakota visited Fort Meade, our custom was explained to him. Later I attended a reception given by Governor Hastings of Pennsylvania at the Governor's mansion in Harrisburg, and he promised me that he would try to have the custom established among the state militia.
"Not long after I had an interview on the subject with the Secretary of War, Daniel E. Lamont, and my impression is that it was but a few months later that he issued an order requiring that "The Star Spangled Banner to be played at every army post every evening at retreat.
In addition to this I tried to enforce respect for our national flag by having everyone rise and remove their hats when the colors passed them."
The Adjutant General designated it as the "National Air", and in 1931 Congress declared it "The National Anthem" ("It Started Here)."
Fort Sisseton
Like many of the other 19th-century American forts of the Western frontier, Dakota Territory's Fort Sisseton, "maintained peace and facilitated westward movement" ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
The name of the fort was originally Fort Wadsworth, but it was changed to avoid its confusion with "a Fort Wadsworth [that] already existed in New York, and to honor the Sisseton band of Sioux that provided scouts to the fort."
Fort Sisseton also had the distinction of becoming home to "Companies E and G of the 25th Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit, . . . both of which were reassigned . . . [here] . . . in May 1884 after Fort Hale was abandoned" ("Fort Sisseton," Wikipedia).
Fort Pierce Chocteau
Fort Pierre Chocteau
Fort Pierre Chocteau
Located in Dakota Territory, Fort Pierre Chouteau, also simply Fort Pierre, was a major trading post and military outpost on the Missouri River's west bank. It was established in 1832 by Pierre Chouteau, Jr., of St. Louis, Missouri, a member of a family of fur traders, and operated throughout the 1850s as the largest trading post in the northern Great Plains. It was also a major shipment point for buffalo furs ("Fort Pierre Chocteau," Wikipedia).
Fort Pierre Chouteau also served as a meeting place for tribal leaders, traders, and government representatives, where "alliances [and] treaties" were forged among "various cultural influences" ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
Fort Dakota
Built in 1865, along the Big Sioux River in Dakota Territory, Fort Dakota protected westward migration and the settlers in the region surrounding the fort itself. The fort's presence prompted many to make the area their home, leading to both an increase in the population and the economic development of the city of Sioux Falls. The fort was decommissioned in 1869, but historical markers and its "preserved remnants" are reminders of its history and military, cultural, and political contributions. ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
Fort Bennet
Pan of Fort Bennett
During the Indian Wars, Fort Bennett (originally the Post at Cheyenne River Agency) "was established [in 1869, on the Missouri River, seven miles north of Fort Sully], in the Department of Dakota, by the U. S. Army"; its mission: to control the Sioux." The fort was abandoned in 1889, when the agency was relocated fifty-six miles upriver. ("Fort Bennett," Wikipedia.)
Fort Randall
Established in 1856, along the west bank of the Big Sioux River, in Dakota Territory, Fort Randall had much the same purpose as many other frontier army posts: protect settlers and trails west and "provide a base for exploration and expeditions further into the West" while promoting good will and "negotiations" between the U. S. government and a number of Native Americans, particularly those of the Sioux, or, in the case of the Indian Wars, representing a "staging point for military expeditions and campaigns" ("10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
Gordon Stockade
The Black Hills Gold Rush (1874-c. 1877) led to the construction of several forts, built either by the U. S. Army, or, in some cases, private citizens. Both Camp Crook and Gordon Stockade are examples of the latter. Gordon Stockade was built by William Gordon and other prospectors, who used "local timber" according to a simple, utilitarian design: a "hastily constructed . . . defense fortification" with "tall wooden walls and lookout posts."
In 1875, the stockade was abandoned, the U. S. Army ordering its defenders to evacuate; the post was illegal, having been built "in territory considered sacred to the Lakota Sioux and established without U.S. government sanction."
Although it is now long gone, a reconstruction of Gordon Stockade can be seen in Custer State Park at 13329 US Highway 16A, Custer, South Dakota 57730-8351. "10 Historic Forts in South Dakota," Historic Forts).
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