Fort Rice (1)
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Fort Rice (1) (1864-1879) - A U.S. Army post established in 1864 during the U.S. Civil War by Brigadier General Alfred Sully in Morton County, North Dakota. Named 12 May 1864 for Brigadier General James C. Rice, who was killed 10 May 1864 at the Battle of Laurel Hill, Virginia. Abandoned in 1879.
History Established on 11 Jul 1864 by Brigadier General Alfred Sully who left Colonel Daniel J. Dill, 30th Wisconsin Volunteer Infantry, in command of four companies of infantry and two companies of cavalry to construct Fort Rice. The post was originally built with earth covered log huts and rebuilt with more substantial buildings in 1867. With the construction of Fort Yates in 1878 at the Standing Rock Indian Agency about 30 miles to the south, Fort Rice was no longer necessary and it was abandoned 25 Nov 1878 leaving behind a small caretaker detachment until 6 Feb 1879. The reservation was turned over to the Federal Interior Department for disposition in 1884. The site of Fort Rice was obtained by the State Historical Society in 1913. In the 1930s the Federal Works Progress Administration (WPA) improved the site by creating corner markers and labeling the building locations. Replicas of the two blockhouses were created but no longer exist.
Current Status Fort Rice State Historic Site, Morton County, North Dakota. No structures remain but there are markers for the site and individual building locations. The main marker is enclosed in a stone shelter. Two replica blockhouses were constructed by the WPA in the 1930s but they no longer exist, only the foundations can be seen.
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Visited: 15 Sep 2013
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