Fort Assinniboine (1)

Fort Assinniboine (1) (1879-1911) - Established 9 May 1879 by Col. Thomas H. Ruger, 18th U.S. Infantry and named for the Assinniboine Indians. Abandoned in 1911.

Fort AssiniBoine Plan 1908

Fort Assinniboine (1) History

Fort Assinniboine was built 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.

Current Status

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, 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

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