Fort Assinniboine (1)

Fort Assinniboine (1) (1879-1911) - A U.S. Army post established in 1879 by Colonel Thomas H. Ruger, 18th U.S. Infantry and named for the Assinniboine Indian Tribe. Abandoned in 1911.

Fort Assinniboine Guardhouse	Fort Assinniboine Officer's Quarters
Fort Assinniboine Stable and Outbuildings
Fort Assinniboine Roadside Marker

Fort Assinniboine (1) History

Fort Assinniboine Plan 1908

Established on 9 May 1879 by Colonel Thomas H. Ruger, 18th U.S. Infantry, to prevent the Sioux Chief Sitting Bull from returning to the U.S. from Canada and to control the local Indian population.

Fort Assinniboine was the largest fort constructed in Montana. It had long rows of brick buildings and barracks with castle like towers at the corners surrounding a very large parade ground. At it's peak the fort had 104 buildings mostly of brick and a complement of 36 officers and 453 non-commissioned officers and enlisted men.

The most famous officer to serve at the Fort was John J. (Black-Jack) Pershing who arrived in 1896 with the 10th U.S. Cavalry, a black regiment.

Abandoned in 1911.

Current Status

Fort Assinniboine Guided Tour Sign

The Fort site is now the home of Northern Agricultural Research Center and is not open to individual visitors. The Fort Assinniboine Preservation Association does conduct regular guided tours during the summer months.

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Location: 7 miles south of Havre, Hill County, Montana, on Hwy 87. Maps & Images Lat: 48.5006 Long: -109.7930 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 2650'

Sources:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 68
• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 79
• Montana History

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Assiniboine

Visited: 24 Sep 2013

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