Fort Ripley (1)

Forts of Minnesota

Fort Ripley 1849 to 1877

Fort Ripley was built for the purpose of establishing a presence on the frontier of the Minnesota Territory; to oversee the Winnebago Indians, (Ho-chunks) who were being moved to a new reservation nearby; and to serve as a buffer between the feuding Dakota (EastAl 05:28, 26 September 2009 (UTC)ern Sioux) and Ojibwa (Chippewa) tribes. The Fort was initially named Fort Marcy, and then renamed to Fort Gaines the following year. In 1850 it was named in honor of Brigadier General Eleazar W. Ripley. The fort site is south of Brainerd, Minnesota on the west side of the Mississippi River. The historic Fort Ripley site is located within the boundaries of active Camp Ripley Military Reservation. The original boundary of the Fort extended across the Mississippi River to the east. Construction began in November 1848 on the west side of the upper Mississippi River opposite mouth of Nokasippi River. On May 13, 1849, the post's first garrison, Company A, 6th U.S. Infantry, arrived from Fort Snelling under the command of Captain John B. Todd. In January 1877, the laundry, commissary, and officers quarters were destroyed as the result of a chimney fire. Neither longer on the western frontier nor troubled by Indians, the War Department decided to close the post permanently rather than rebuild. The site contains an historical information sign. There are remaining ground depressions and remnants of a bunker. Fort Ripley like many other Forts kept weather records. Many surgical personnel passed through the doors of the Fort’s hospital during the years of operation. Under orders of the Surgeon General, the surgeon at each post was responsible for keeping a weather log. Visiting the Fort Ripley Site Location: Lat. 46.181111 Long. -94.378056 W Visitors must enter the Camp Ripley grounds and be ESCORTED to the old fort site. The Camp Ripley entrance is near the junction of Highways 115 & 371. There is a Military Museum at Camp Ripley. Camp Ripley Cemetery in the Camp has graves of persons contemporary with the Fort such as first area Postmaster Martin Hall (escort required). Fort Ripley Cemetery is east of the town of Fort Ripley and Hwy 371. Links:

Photos, maps, fort diagrams and history. http://mrcc.isws.illinois.edu/FORTS/histories/MN_Fort_Ripley_Boulay.pdf

History http://anglicanhistory.org/usa/mn/manney_ripley.html

Camp Ripley http://www.minnesotanationalguard.org/camp_ripley/

Dr. Al Ahlgrim, 9/25/2009