Fort Dole (1862-1862) - A U.S. Civil War era fort (blockhouse) established in 1862 at the beginning of the 1862 Sioux uprising. The blockhouse was located at present-day Greenwood in Charles Mix County, South Dakota. Named Fort Dole after the then Commissioner of Indian Affairs, William P. Dole. Abandoned as a fortification later in 1862.
Fort Dole Approximate Location
History
At the beginning of the 1862 Sioux uprising in the Dakota Territory, the Yankton Sioux refused to join in the revolt. This led to serious threats against the Yankton Reservation. In response, the Yankton Indian agent, Dr. Walter Burleigh, built an octagonal, two-storied blockhouse of 22-inch-thick timbers, 26 feet in diameter. The blockhouse was loopholed for muskets and armed with one six-pounder Dahlgren gun and two three-pounders.
Abandoned as a fortification later in 1862.
Current Status
No remains, the blockhouse was located at present-day Greenwood, near the Fort Randall Dam.
Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 729.
