Fort Yellowstone

Fort Yellowstone (1886-1918) - Established 17 Aug 1886 as Camp Sheridan by Capt. Moses Harris, Company M, 1st U.S. Cavalry and named after Gen. Phil Sheridan. Designated as Fort Yellowstone 11 May 1891. Abandoned 1918 and turned over to the National Park Service.

Fort Yellowstone History

In 1886 men from Company M, 1st U.S. Cavalry, Fort Custer, Montana Territory under Capt. Moses Harris came to Yellowstone to begin what would be more than 30 years of military presence in Yellowstone.

When Company M arrived in August 1886, they lived in temporary frame buildings at Camp Sheridan, established at the foot of the Mammoth Hot Springs Terraces. After enduring five cold, harsh winters, the cavalry realized there was no end in sight to this assignment. Therefore, in 1890, Congress appropriated $50,000 for a permanent post.

The first buildings of Fort Yellowstone were finished by late 1891. As more troops were needed, more buildings were constructed: officers' quarters, guard house, headquarters, barracks for enlisted men, stables for their horses and non-commissioned officers' quarters. In 1909, Scottish masons began constructing sandstone buildings here - among them the Albright Visitor Center (then the Bachelor Officers' Quarters) and the administration building (then a two-troop barracks for 200 men). The Chapel, the final building constructed during the Army's tenure, was also constructed of native sandstone. The stone from these buildings was obtained from a local quarry between the Gardner River and the Mammoth Campground.

In 1910, at the height of the Army's presence in Yellowstone, there were 324 soldiers stationed here - plus some families and numerous civilian employees. These troops staffed not only Fort Yellowstone, but were stationed throughout the park in small details at various outposts. --from National Park Service--

Current Status

Yellowstone National Park. many of the original fort buildings are in use as park facilities.

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Location: Park Headquarters, Yellowstone National Park. Maps & Images Lat: 44.975683 Long: -110.697749 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 6239'

Sources:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 206
• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 187
• National Park Service

Links:

Visited: Sep 1998

Fort Yellowstone Picture Gallery

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