Fort Ridgely

Fort Ridgely was a United States Army outpost (1853–1867) near the Dakota reservation in southwestern Minnesota (located near Fairfax). Built between 1853–1854, it was named for three officers named Ridgely who were killed in the Mexican–American War.[2] The fort played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862.[3] The Battle of Fort Ridgely was fought there in two engagements over August 20–22, 1862 between Army volunteers and refugees from the Minnesota River valley, and Dakota forces.

Fort Ridgely
Fort Ridgely in 1862
LocationNicollet County, south of Fairfax, Minnesota
Coordinates44°27′3″N 94°43′54″W
Built1853
NRHP reference No.70000304[1]
Added to NRHPDecember 02, 1970

The Army abandoned the fort in 1867 and moved westward. Civilians occupied the remaining buildings and later dismantled the structures for their own use.

Today the building foundations are preserved by the Nicollet County Historical Society and owned by the Minnesota Historical Society within the boundaries of Fort Ridgely State Park. The old commissary building (partially reconstructed by the Veteran Conservation Corps in the 1930s) now houses the museum. The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1970, while much of the park was added in 1989.

References
  1. "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. Upham, Warren (1920). Minnesota Geographic Names: Their Origin and Historic Significance. Minnesota Historical Society. p. 373.
  3. "Park Info: Fort Ridgely State Park". Minnesota Department of Natural Resources. Archived from the original on 28 November 2015. Retrieved 6 February 2012.

Further reading
  • Barnes, Jeff. Forts of the Northern Plains: Guide to Historic Military Posts of the Plains Indian Wars. Mechanicsburg, PA: Stackpole Books, 2008.

Media related to Fort Ridgely at Wikimedia Commons

Building remains at Fort Ridgely, Minnesota.
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