Fort Atkinson (3)
Fort Atkinson (3) (1840-1849) - A U.S. Army post established in 1840 as Camp Atkinson (1) by Captain Isaac Lynde (Cullum 501), 5th U.S. Infantry, in present day Fort Atkinson in Winneshiek County, Iowa. Named for Colonel Henry Atkinson, 6th U.S. Infantry, department commander. The post was designated Fort Atkinson in 1841. Abandoned in 1849.
Fort Atkinson (3) History
Camp Atkinson was established on 31 May 1840 by Captain Isaac Lynde, 5th U.S. Infantry on the west bank of the Turkey River. The Fort's mission was to protect the nearby Winnebago Indian Reservation and speed the movement of the Winnebago to the reservation.
Construction materials had to be hauled in from Prairie du Chien some 50 miles away. When completed in 1842 the post had some 24 buildings inside a stockade wall and 14 outside.
The infantry garrison was supplemented by a company of Dragoons on 24 Jun 1841 and later by volunteer troops during the Mexican War (1846-1848).
The fort was abandoned on 24 Feb 1849 when the Winnebago were moved to a new reservation in Minnesota. The buildings were sold at public auction in 1853 and the reservation was transferred to the Interior Department in 1860.
Current Status
Reconstructed structures, Fort Atkinson State Park, Winneshiek County, Iowa
USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1941476
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Location: Fort Atkinson State Preserve, Winneshiek County, Iowa. Maps & Images Lat: 43.1455556 Long: -91.9391667 |
Sources:
- 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 283
Links:
- North American Forts - Fort Atkinson
- Iowa State Parks - Fort Atkinson State Preserve
- Old Fort Atkinson (The Palimpsest, 2:333‑350)
Visited: No
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