South Dakota Forts

American Forts: West

SOUTH DAKOTA

Last Update: 01/JULY/2007

Camps of General H.H. Sibley's Campaign
(1863), various locations
(see also NORTH DAKOTA and MINNESOTA pages)
Federal encampments during the campaign to crush the 1862-3 Sioux Uprising.
Camp Marshall near Big Stone City
Camp Jennison near Hartford Beach
Camp McClaren opposite Browns Valley, MN
Camp Bradley (1) northeast of Sisseton
Camp Cook near Veblen or Claire City

Lac Traverse Post (1)
(1817 - 1823), near White Rock
A Hudson's Bay Co. post.

Lake Traverse Post (2)
(1821 - 1827), near White Rock
The main post of the Columbia Fur Company.

Sieche Hollow Post
(Sieche Hollow State Park)
(1844 - unknown), near Sisseton
An American Fur Co. post. Also called Joseph R. Brown's Post (2).

Hazen Mooers' Post
(Hartford Beach State Park)
(1818 - unknown), Hartford Beach
An American Fur Co. post on Big Stone Lake. Abandoned sometime between 1824 to 1830.

Martin McLeod's Post
(1843 - 1857), Hartford Beach
An American Fur Co. post. Located just above Mooers' Post.

Moreau-Robar Post
(1865), Hartford Beach
A trading post operated by Moses Moreau and Solomon Robar. Located at Linden Beach two miles south of Mooers' Post.

Buffalo Lake Post
(1843 - unknown), Marshall County
A fur trade post on the east-side of Buffalo Lake, operated by Joseph Brown. Sold to the American Fur Co. in 1846.

Fort Sisseton (State Park)
(1864 - 1889), near Lake City
A Federal fort built after the Sioux Uprising in Minnesota. Originally called Fort Wadsworth until 1876, renamed to avoid confusion with the fort in New York City, NY. It had two blockhouses. Many of the buildings were restored in the 1930's. Admission fee.

Colin Campbell's Post
(1822 - 1828), near Frederick
A Hudson's Bay Co. trading post seven miles southwest of town.

François Rondell's Post
(1835 - 1851), near Columbia
A trading post 25 miles northeast of Aberdeen on the James River. A monument is located in Rondell Park. Previously called James R. Brown's Post (1) and Oakwood Post.

Chanopa Post
(1835 ? - unknown), near Goodwyn
A fur trade post of the Pratte, Choteau and Co. Located on the east-side of Two Woods Lake. Also called Two Woods Lake Post.

William Dickson's Post (1)
(1822 - 1830 ?), near Redfield
A Columbia Fur Co. trading post located on the James River. Also spelled Dixon.
(thanks to John Ludwickson for providing info)

James River Post
(1830's), near Redfield
An American Fur Co. trading post. Possibly the same site as Dickson's Post (1).

Camp Edwards
(1857, 1859, 1862 - 1865), near Arlington
Originally Cantonment Oakwood, apparently located near the Oakwood Lakes. Reoccupied in 1859, known as Camp near Lake Preston, then soon renamed. It was again reoccupied during the Sioux Uprising in 1862, and again by the Minnesota Volunteers in 1864-65.

Fort James
(1865 - 1866), near Alexandria
A quadrangular stone and log fort located on the right-side of the James River at Firesteel Creek. Also known as Fort la Roche or Fort des Roche.

Prehistoric Indian Village
(ca. 1000), Mitchell
Reconstructed lodge of a fortified Indian village. Excavations are ongoing.

Fort Dakota
(1865 - 1869), Sioux Falls
Built after the Sioux burned this and other settlements. It had log and stone barracks. It no longer exists. Possibly also known as Fort Brookings. Site is on Phillips Ave. between 7th and 8th Streets.
(website courtesy of Dave Rambow)

Camp George Dewey
(1898), Sioux Falls
A Spanish-American War muster camp. The state troops left for San Francisco, CA after about two weeks.

Vermillion Post
(1830 - 1851), near Burbank
An American Fur Co. post located on the east-side of the "Kate Sweeny Bend" of the Missouri River, several miles east of the mouth of the Vermillion River. Also known as Fort Vermillion and William Dickson's (Dixon's) Post (2).
(thanks to John Ludwickson for providing info)

Robert McClellan's Trading Post
(1805 - 1806), near Yankton
An independent trading post located just below the mouth of the James River. Still in operation when the Lewis and Clark Expedition came downriver in 1806.

Fort Hutchinson
(unknown dates), near Yankton
Possibly an Army post, located east of town at the mouth of the James River.

Fort Yankton
(1862), Yankton
A civilian stockade erected during the Sioux Uprising. Site located at Broadway and Third Street.

Emanuel Disaul's Trading Post
(1815 - unknown), Springfield
A Canadian fur trade post located at the mouth of Emanuel Creek.

Fort Dole
(1862), Greenwood
An octogonal two-story blockhouse with three guns, built by the local Indian agent during tensions between the Upper Sioux and the Yankton Sioux.

Jean Baptiste Truteau's House
(1794 - 1795), near Marty
A simple log cabin wintering trading house, supposedly the first dwelling in the state built by a white man. Also called Ponca House. Located about one mile upstream of "Old Baldy", about eight miles below the present-day Fort Randall Dam. The exact site no longer exists.

Fort Randall
(1856 - 1892), near Pickstown
Located on the southern side of the dam. Only the chapel was spared from the damming of the river, which was restored in 1950 from original plans. This was the longest serving post on the Missouri River. Built to replace Fort Pierre (1). It became General Sully's base of operations against the Sioux in 1863 - 1865. During 1870 - 1872 the post was rebuilt at the present site, 1/4 mile from the original location and just downstream.

Frost-Todd Trading Post
(unknown - 1861), unknown location
A trading post of the Frost, Todd and Co. located on the Missouri River near the Yankton Indian Reservation (probably in Charles Mix County).

Post at Whetstone Indian Agency
(1870 - 1872), near Bonesteel
A Federal stockade with two blockhouses on the Missouri River east of town, 18 miles upriver from the Fort Randall Dam. A subpost of Fort Randall. The site is now underwater.

Fort Recovery
(1822 - 1830), near Chamberlain
A St. Louis Missouri Fur Co. post built on American (Cedar) Island, previously the site of Fort aux Cèdras (Cedar Fort (1)) (1809 - 1822), which was destroyed by fire. Also called Joshua Pilcher's Post and Fort (Antoine) Brasseaux. Located one mile below town, the site is now underwater. This was also previously the site of Régis Loisel's Post (1) (1802 - 1803).

White River Post
(1830 - unknown), near Oacoma
An American Fur Co. trading post at the mouth of the White River. Also called Brulé Post. It was a subpost of Fort Tecumseh.

Fort Kiowa
(1822 - 1825), Fort Lookout
A Bernard Pratte and Co. fur trade post originally called Fort Lookout (1). It was a 140-foot square palisade with a blockhouse and watch tower. Site is underwater.
(NOTE: Various editions of the SD State Highway Map show a Fort Kiowa (1882) at this location, which is a misprint.)

Fort Lookout (2)
(1831 - 1851), Fort Lookout
A Columbia Fur Co. trade post, also called French Post. From 1840 to 1851 it was called John La Barge's Post, operated by the La Barge, Harkness and Co. It was simply a log house that was not palisaded. Burned and rebuilt at least once. Located on the west bank of the Missouri River about 10 miles upriver from Chamberlain.

Fort Lookout (3)
(1833 - unknown), Fort Lookout
A fur trade post, located near Fort Hale. The site is now underwater. Some archaeologists believe this site may be the same as Fort Lookout (1).

Fort Lookout (4)
(1856 - 1857, 1863 ?), Fort Lookout
An Army post, located on the west bank of the Missouri River about 10 miles above Chamberlain, adjacent to the site of Fort Lookout (2). After it was dismantled, salvageable materials were sent downriver to Fort Randall. The site may have been used as a campsite by Capt. Whitney's troops during the 1863 Sioux Uprising Campaign.

Fort Hale
(Lower Brulé Indian Reservation)
(1870 - 1884), near Reliance
Originally named Post at Lower Brulé Indian Agency, or Fort Lower Brulé, located 15 miles south, then moved to the current site in 1870, opposite Crow Creek. Renamed in 1878. The exact site, northeast of town, is now under water.

Fort Thompson
(Crow Creek Indian Reservation)
(1864 - 1867, 1870 - 1871), Fort Thompson
A Federal 300-by-400-foot stockade located at the mouth of Soldier Creek, originally named Post at Crow Creek Indian Agency. Became a subpost of Fort Sully (2) in 1870. The government turned the fort over to the Crow Creek Agency in 1871. It was dismantled in 1878.

Régis Loisel's Post (2)
(1803 - 1804), near Lower Brule
A St. Louis trader's winter post located on Goat Island in the Missouri River, near the mouth of Tyler's River (Medicine Creek). No trace remains of the island.

Fort Defiance (1)
(Lower Brule Indian Reservation)
(1845 - 1851), near Lower Brule
A trading post located near the mouth of Medicine Creek, established by ex-employees of the American Fur Co. Also called Fort (A.T.) Bouis.

Western South Dakota - page 2