Links to Old West Forts and Towns

Fort Adams, Newport RI Not an "Old West" Fort, but located on the eastern seaboard, and originally designed to be the mainstay of a series of batteries protecting the entrance to Narragansett Bay. Fort Adams' formidable defenses protected it from attack by sea and land almost continuously from 1798. Fort Adams is the only fort outside of Europe using the tenaille, a land defense feature. This site has a vocabulary of "Fort Terminology." Read the story of one young boy's adventures at the fort, and his efforts now to save this fort from further deterioration.

The Alamo: An Illustrated Chronology (See photo to the right)

Fortress Alcatraz Built to withstand Confederate and British raiders, the island had been sculpted into the largest fort west of the Mississippi, and the key link in America's takeover of the West Coast. From the Gold Rush to the Great Depression, the Army ruled The Rock.

Fort Alcatraz The History of Alcatraz, before and during the prison period. Alcatraz is usually defined as meaning "pelican" or "strange bird."

Fort Apache, Arizona This army post was established in 1870 near the present town of Whiteriver to assist the White Mountain Apache Tribe to peacefully protect their lands.

Fort Arbuckle, OK A remote outpost in the middle of Indian Territory, this fort was established on April 19, 1851, but was in operation for less than 20 years. Near the end of that two-decade period, Fort Arbuckle helped launch the legendary Chisholm Trail.

Fort Atkinson, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail Fort Atkinson was the first regular army post on the Santa Fe Trail in the heart of Indian Country. At the time of its beginning there were forts at both ends of the trail, Fort Leavenworth (1827) on the Missouri River and Fort Marcy (1846) at Santa Fe New Mexico. In July 1850 it was a temporary camp, and on August 8, 1850 it was a permanent Fort.

Fort Atkinson, Nebraska Established as the first U.S. military post west of the Missouri River by the Yellowstone Expedition of 1819

Fort Atkinson, Iowa Fort Atkinson was built to keep the Winnebago Indians on Neutral Ground after their removal from Wisconsin in 1840, and to provide protection for them from the Sioux, Sauk, Fox and from white intruders on Indian land.

Fort Bascom, NM Located 9 miles north/west of Tucumcari, New Mexico from 1863 to 1874. (Photo to right)

Fort Bayard, NM Fort Bayard played an integral role in protecting settlers and miners in the Los Pinos and Silver City mining districts. Fort Bayard was home to hundreds of black soldiers, who fought Apaches with distinction and who participated in the chase for Geronimo.

Fort Bayard, NM At its peak, Fort Bayard housed about 500 military and civilian personnel.

Fort Belknap, Texas Fort Belknap, in Young County, Texas near present Newcastle, was a outpost of the United States Army for nearly a decade preceding 1860, and was reoccupied by Federal troops in the Spring of 1867. The commanding officer, Colonel Samuel D. Sturgis of the Sixth Cavalry, recommended to his superiors and urged that the post be abandoned and the troops be relocated at another point on the frontier with a better water supply. This site has the letters pertaining to the confusion on the frontier and the change in the sites.

Fort Belknap, Texas: On the Butterfield Stage Route Fort Belknap played an important part in defending the frontier. Seven original buildings are restored; two are small museums, and a third houses the county archives.

Fort Belknap This historic fort was established on June 24, 1851 as one of a number of forts connecting the Red River and the Rio Grand for the protection of settlers moving west.

Fort Belknap, TX On June 14, 1851, Camp Belknap was founded. Within two years, as Headquarters of the Fifth Infantry, Fort Belknap was the busy hub of what would become Young County.

Bent's Old Fort, Colorado: Located along the Santa Fe Trail, it was built in 1833

Bent's Old Fort This National Historic Site is an authentically reconstructed trading post based on drawings, written journals and archaeological excavations. The original post was constructed in the early 1830's and quickly became a major trading site for Plains Indian tribes and trappers.

Bent's Old Fort: The NPS Site William and Charles Bent, along with Ceran St. Vrain, built the original fort on this site in 1833 to trade with plains Indians and trappers.

Fort Benton, Missouri From Ghosttowns.com

Fort Benton, Missouri: The Overlooked Civil War Fort Located at Patterson , Missouri. Its Part in the not so Civil, Civil War.

Fort Benton, A National Historic Landmark Fur traders, gold seekers, and homesteaders came via steamboats to Fort Benton, the "Head of Navigation" on the Missouri River.

Fort Benton, Montana Established along the Missouri River--The Birthplace of Montana

Fort Benton, the birthplace of Montana

Big Laramie, Wyoming: The privy on the prairie

Fort Blair, Tx Just an historical marker remains of this "family fort," established in 1857 by C. C. Blair, to defend themselves and their belongings from the frequent Indian raids. The settlement consisted of twelve log cabins.

Fort Bodie An original ghost town from the 1870's and 1880's in California. Now a State Historic Park.

Old Fort Boise from Tom Laidlaw's pages. Interactive maps, directions, etc.

Fort Boise In 1834 Fort Boise, owned by the Hudson Bay Company, was established by British fur traders.

The history of Bonner Springs Kansas, believed to be the namesake of the Bonner Springs Overland Trail swing station north of LaPorte, Colorado, a home station on the Overland Trail

A new site called Boot Hill in the famous Tombstone, Arizona

Fort Bowie The National Park's guide to this fort established in Arizona as the headquarters of military operations against the Chiricahua Apaches for control of the region.

Fort Bowie: A NPS map of the area

Fort Bowie: Shaded Elevation Model around the Fort

Fort Bowie A panoramic view of the the old fort

Fort Bowie National Historic Site The remains of Fort Bowie today are carefully preserved by the NPS. The adobe walls of various post buildings and the ruins of a Butterfield Stage Station are also here.

Fort Bridger: Where the Overland Trail joins the Oregon Trail

Fort Bridger,Wyoming Established as a trading post in 1843 in Western Wyoming by Jim Bridger, it became one of the main hubs of westward expansion

Fort Buenaventura, Utah The site symbolizes a period of western history that was the transition from nomadic ways of the Indian tribes and trappers to the first permanent white settlers in the Great Basin.

Fort Buford, ND Fort Buford was built in 1866 on the north bank of the Missouri River. It is named for General John Buford of Gettysburg fame. The post was under a virtual state of siege during the Bozeman Trail War.

Fort Buford, ND From the PBS site

Fort Buford This post was designated Fort Buford in honor of Union Cavalry General John Buford of Gettysburg fame. Forts Union and Buford would co-exist for roughly a year. By August of 1867, the fur post of Fort Union was purchased by the U.S. Army and was torn down for it's materials, which would aid in the continuing contruction of Fort Buford.

Fort Canby, WA Construction of Fort Canby began in July 1863. A visitor center at Fort Canby commemorates Lewis and Clark reaching their principle objective, the Pacific Ocean.

Fort Casey, Washington Fort Casey was one of several coast artillery posts established during the late 1890's for the defence of Puget Sound.

Fort Caspar, Wyoming The first permanent occupation at the Fort Caspar site was in 1859, when Louis Guinard built a bridge and a trading post. Guinard's post was also an overnight stage stop, Pony Express mail stop,and a telegraph office.

Fort Cass, MT One of the earliest settlements in MT.... A reference to Fort Cass, also known as Tullock's Fort built in 1832 by the American Fur Company, is on this site.

Fort Cass In Hysham County, MT

Fort Cavagnial In Old French Kansas City: Was in operation from 1744-1764.

Fort Chadbourne Established in late autumn of 1852 in Coke County, Texas. Comanches visited the fort occasionally, even the kidnapped Cynthia Ann Parker disguising her Anglo features, the mother of the famous war chief, Quanah Parker.

Fort Childs, Nebraska In 1846, Congress mandated the construction of forts along the route to Oregon, including along the Platte River, which lead to the construction of Fort Childs, later re-named Fort Kearney.

Fort Churchill, Nevada Fort Churchill was once a U.S. Army fort built in 1861 to provide protection for early settlers. It was abandoned ten years later, and today the ruins are preserved in a state of arrested decay.

Fort Clark, Texas Historic Home of The Seminole-Negro Indian Scouts

Fort Clark Located at the headwaters of Las Moras Creek in Texas, the spring, named "The Mulberries" by Spanish explorers was a site long favored as camp grounds for Comanche, Mescalero, Lipan, and other Indians.

Fort Clatsop National Memorial This site celebrates the 1805-06 winter encampment of the 33-member Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Fort Collins, CO The primary purpose of the establishment of Fort Collins along the Cache la Poudre River in the early 1860's was to protect the Overland Trail.

Fort Colombia State Park, WA This Fort, along with Fort Canby and Fort Stevens on the Oregon side, constituted the harbor defense of the Columbia River from 1896 until 1947 when Fort Columbia was declared surplus by the U.S. Government.

Fort Colville Established in 1825, this fort located along the Colombia River continued to operate after the Oregon Territory was ceded to the US in 1846. Its main activity was supplying settlers, and miners coming into the Colville area.

Fort Concho National Historic Landmark, Texas An Army Frontier Post from 1867 to 1889

Fort Concho National Landmark Fort Concho was founded in 1867 at the junction of the North and Middle Concho Rivers to protect frontier settlements and transportation routes.

Fort Connah Located in the Flathead or Mission Valley of Western Montana. It was a Hudson Bay Company Trading Post between 1846-1871.

Fort Coon, Edwards County Kansas ". . .there was a small sod fort located there, garrisoned with a sergeant and ten men. These few men could hold this place against twenty times their number as it was all earth and sod, with a heavy clay roof, and port-holes all around, and they could kill off the Indians about as fast as they would come up as long as their ammunition held out." September, 1869,

Cove Fort Cove Fort was to be a way-station for Mormons, miners, Indian or Spanish traders, mail carriers, and others traveling along the "Mormon Corridor" - settlements stretching from Idaho to California.

Fort Craig, New Mexico Fort Craig, New Mexico, one of the largest forts in the West, played a crucial role in both Indian campaigns and the Civil War. Its primary function was to control Indian raiding and to protect the central portion of the Camino Real, a trail which stretched from northern Mexico to Taos, New Mexico.

Fort Crockett, Texas Fort Crockett was located along the seawall of Galveston Island. Fortifications were initially constructed at the turn of the century as part of the Endicott fortification plan.

Fort Croghan One of the early posts established in Texas to secure the expanding frontier line against Indian raids, Fort Croghan was founded in mid March of 1849 just to the southeast of San Saba County on Post Mountain near Hamilton's Creek.

Fort Cummings, New Mexico "The 'doby' buildings were low structures with flat roofs, built against the inner walls of the fort. There were no outside windows even in the hospital. All the windows looked upon the parade ground. The floors were of dirt. In some rooms army blankets were fastened down with wooden pegs for carpets. In one corner of each room was a large open fireplace. The legs of the bedsteads were in good-sized tins containing water to prevent large red ants from crawling upon the beds." Written Dr. William Thornton Parker who was stationed at Fort Cummings in 1867 and 1868

Fort Dakota, Dakota Territory Fort Dakota was a typical outpost of the frontier period. As with most temporary posts of the time, it looked more like a village than a fort since the chances of a frontal attack were remote.

Fort Davis National Historic Site Protected travelers, mail coaches, freighters, and settlers along the San Antonio - El Paso Road

Fort Davis Established as a military post in 1854 in Texas, it was named after the then Secretary of War Jefferson Davis.

Fort Davis, TX A key post in West Texas, soldiers from Fort Davis assisted in opening the area to settlement and protected travelers and merchants along the San Antonio-El Paso Road from 1854 to 1891.

Deadwood, South Dakota: The toughest town in the Dakotas, where Wild Bill Hickok played his last hand

Fort Defiance, AZ Established in the early 1800's as Arizona's first military post for the U.S. Army to patrol the entire Navajo Country

Fort Defiance, AZ [Ts�hootsoo�] A map of the area

Fort Defiance, IA Fort Defiance State Park is named for the fort that once stood in the nearby community of Estherville. In the mid-19th century there was considerable concern among the settlers about the possibility of attacks by "hostiles."

Fort Defiance, IA Fort Defiance was established in Estherville in November 1862. By spring the following year a stockade 126 feet square had been completed. Fort Defiance was one of the last forts on the frontier incorporating a passive defense. Most forts constructed subsequent to the 1860's were without walls, with the idea that troops without such protection would be more alert, and more inclined to assume active operations against an enemy. They would also be less prone to a siege.

Fort Des Moines In 1834, it was recommended to establish a military post to protect the rights of the Sac Indians at the fork of the Raccoon and Des Moines rivers. The following year, Col. Stephen Kearney explored the area, and John C. Fremont was sent by the War Department in July 1841 to survey the river. The military garrison was then established. In 1857, the word "Fort" was dropped and Des Moines was named the capital of Iowa.

Fort Dodge, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail The origin of Fort Dodge, now the Kansas Soldiers Home on Highway 400, just east of Dodge City, Kansas dates back to 1847, when Fort Mann was established at the Cimarron Crossing on the Santa Fe Trail a few miles west of the present Fort Dodge.

Fort Dodge, Kansas Fort Dodge, named for Maj. Gen. Grenville M. Dodge was established in 1865. It was a supply depot and base of operations against warring Plains Tribes. Custer, Sheridan, Miles, Hancock, "Wild Bill" Hickok, and Buffalo Bill Cody are figures in its history. The site was an old camping ground for wagon trains near the western junction of the "Dry" and "Wet" routes of the Santa Fe trail. The first buildings were of sod and adobe although some of the troops lived in dugouts.

Fort Douglas Camp Douglas, Utah (Fort Douglas) was established on 26 October 1862; it was named after the late Senator Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois. It was established both to protect the overland mail route and to keep an eye on the Mormons.

Fort Duchesne ( Utah) was established by Major Frederick William Benteen on 20 August 1886. The fort continued to serve, with an average detachment of 250 men, until its closure in September 1912. Remnants of the fort still exist.

Fort Ellsworth, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail In June 1864, Fort Ellsworth, Kansas was established at the site of the Page Ranche. The fort was one of several that served to protect the area of Central Kansas and the Santa Fe Trail. This site served as a home station on the Butterfield Overland Dispatch stage route, offering food for the travelers and fresh stock for the stage. At this point the route followed the north side of the Smoky Hill River.

Fort Fetterman State Historic Site, WY The fort was established as a military post on July 19, 1867, because of conditions that existed on the Northern Plains at the close of the Civil War.

Fort Filmore, NM In Sept. of 1851, the U.S. Government established Ft. Fillmore near Mesilla to insure the security of settlers and travelers to the area. Ft. Fillmore was abandoned and officially closed by the Union in Oct. of 1862. Today there is no sign of it--no ruins, no remnants of primitive adobe buildings, no historical marker--only a "No Trespassing" sign.

Fort Flagler State Park Fort Flager, along with the heavy batteries of Fort Worden and Fort Casey, guarded the entrance to Puget Sound. These posts, established in the late 1890s, became the first line of a fortification system designed to prevent a hostile fleet from reaching such targets as the Bremerton Naval Yard and the cities of Seattle, Tacoma, Olympia and Everett.

Fort Fletcher, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail To protect the stage and express lines and the pioneer settlers the United States government ordered the establishment of several military posts along the trails leading to the west. One of these fort was in the vicinity of Big Creek and the Smoky Hill river. This fort was named Fort Fletcher, the site of which was about fourteen miles southeast of Hays, Kansas.

Fort Fred Steele, WY Established June 20, 1868 and occupied until August 7, 1886 by soldiers who were sent by the U.S. Government to guard the railroad against attack from Indians.

Fort Garland Colorado was built in 1858 to protect the settlers of the area. Kit Carson was in residence from 1866 to 1867.

Fort Gibson, OK History of Fort Gibson, 1824-1890 Fort Gibson was made the headquarters of the Seventh Infantry in 1831.

Fort Gibson, OK A military post from 1824-1845, the original structures at the restored fort date from 1845-1890.

Fort Gibson, Indian Territory On September 16, 1864 the scene of a battle between the Confederates and the Union soldiers.

A good history of Fort Gibson, OK written in January, 1899.

Goodnight, Texas Goodnight is at the edge of the Llano Estacado on U.S. Highway 287 in northeastern Armstrong County, Texas. It was named for Charles Goodnight, of the Goodnight-Loving Trail, who settled on a ranch near the site.

Fort Grant Troops from Fort Grant Arizona participated in the military campaign against Geronimo which ended with Geronimo's surrender in August of 1886.

Fort Griffin, TX Established as part of a new line of defense in 1867, in response to outcries from settlers for more frontier protection during the federal reoccupation of Texas after the Civil War.

Fort Griffin, Texas Fort Griffin once held command of the southern plains, saw the end of both the great herds of buffalo and those who hunted them, and was home to a rugged group of men. The fort was constructed in 1867 and deactivated in 1881.

The Fort Hall Replica An excellent site! Lots of information and links to other sites.

The Fort Hall Accounts are transcribed from the surviving records of the Columbia River Fishing and Trading Company's operations at Fort Hall and cover the period from the establishment of the fort on July 31, 1834 to its sale to the Hudson's Bay company in August 1837.

Fort Hall became a supply point for emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail

Fort Halleck, Wyoming: On the Overland Trail The Naming of "Whiskey Gap"

Fort Halleck, Nevada Established as Camp Halleck by Captain S.P. Smith July 26, 1867, to protect the California Emigrant Trail and construction work on the Central Pacific Railroad. The Camp was named for Major General Henry Wager Halleck, at that time Commander, Military Division of the Pacific.

Fort Harker, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail In December of 1866, a site for the new post of Fort Harker had been selected approximately one mile northeast of the old Fort Ellsworth. The Fort Ellsworth post office was discontinued on December 3, 1866. It was moved to the new site and reopened as the Fort Harker post office.

Fort Harker, KS Established in 1864 as Fort Ellsworth, this fort provided protection to the Kansas Stage Line and military wagon trains traveling the Fort Riley Road and the Smokey Hill Trail.

Fort Hartsuff Located near present-day Elyria, NE, Fort Hartsuff came into being in the 1870s because of confrontations between the Sioux Indians and settlers

Fort Hays, Kansas The State Historic Site

Fort Hoskins, Oregon The fort was built to skirt the western edge of the newly created Coast Range Indian Reservation. It was established on the Luckiamute River overlooking Kings Valley near the mouth of what is now Bonner Creek, on July 26, 1856. Fort Hoskins, named for Lieutenant Charles Hoskins who had been killed in the battle of Monterey, Mexico ten years previously, is about twenty-two miles from Corvallis by now existing roads.

Fort Huachuca, Arizona Still an active Army Post at Sierra Vista, AZ near Hereford, AZ This fort was established in 1877 to offer protection to settlers and travel routes in southeastern Arizona

Julesburg, Colorado: On the Overland Trail The "Wild West" at the California Crossing of the South Platte River

Kansas Forts From the Kansas Heritage Server

Fort Phil Kearny and the Bozeman Trail

Another site about Fort Phil Kearny

Fort Kearny Ft. Kearny was the first military post built to protect the Oregon Trail emigrants. The fort remained an important wayside throughout the emigration period.

Ft. Kearny Road Kansas Heritage Server

Fort Kearny A good history

Ft. Kearny State Historic Park NPS

Fort Kearny State Historic Park Established in the spring of 1848 "near the head of the Grand Island" along the Platte River by Lieutenant Daniel P. Woodbury. It was first called Fort Childs, but in 1848 the post was renamed Fort Kearny in honor of General Stephen Watts Kearny.

Ft. Kearney from the beginning

Ft. Kearney Part 2

Fort Kearney The enormous growth of overland emigration to Oregon after 1842 resulted in the establishment Fort Kearney, in addition to a chain of other military posts across the West to protect travelers in their journey westward.

La Porte, Colorado: On the Overland Trail Gateway to the Rockies

Fort Lancaster, Tx Established in 1855, it was surrendered to Texans in 1861 and abandoned as a post in 1867.

A Chronological Listing of the history of Fort Laramie, WY

Fort Laramie, Wyoming Established in 1849, this was an important stop along the Oregon Trail

Fort Laramie, Wyoming The most important re-supply station on the Oregon Trail. A National Historic Site.

The history of the Laramie Plains and Laramie Wyoming

Fort Larned Military Road:Conflict and Commerce on the Santa Fe Trail Following the establishment of Fort Larned, Kansas a route was developed which followed The Dry Route of the Santa Fe Trail.

Fort Larned, Kansas The Historic Site

Latham: Important junction point on the Overland Trail at the mouth of the Cache La Poudre River.

Along the Missouri River, Fort Leavenworth, Kansas was a "jumping off" point for the Trails West

Livermore, Colorado Home of the historic Forks Cafe, built in 1874

Fort Logan Established about 9 miles south of downtown Denver, Colorado in 1887

Fort Lowell Arizona protected the people of Tucson from the Apaches, particularly those who came into the valley over Reddington Pass. The Fort was also used as a supply depot for other Army units in the general area.

Fort Lupton, Colorado Along the old Trapper's Trail from the South Platte to Denver

Fort Mandan. ND The Lewis and Clark Expedition arrived at the Mandan-Hidatsa Indian village on the Upper Missouri River on October 25, 1804. They found the Mandan very hospitable and decided to remain at this wintering site until the spring thaw when they would resume their up-river journey.

Fort Mandan, ND Built in the fall of 1804, the fort was roughly a trapezoid, built from cottonwood trees.

Fort Mann, KS Established in 1845 about 8 miles west of the present Dodge City and 25 miles below the Cimarron Crossing of the Santa Fe Trail. Fort Mann was established because the government needed a post about equidistant from Fort Leavenworth and Santa Fe for the repair of wagons and replacement of animals.

Fort Marcy, NM "Fort Marcy in the Parraquia Santa Fe" (Handcolored lithograph)

Fort Mason, Tx Established early in July of 1851, Fort Mason eventually comprised 23 permanent buildings and served as the last official U. S. field command for Robert E. Lee prior to the beginning of the Civil War.

Fort McKavett Established by five companies of the Eighth Infantry in March of 1852 to protect frontier settlers and travelers on Upper El Paso Road.

A good history of the Fort Morgan, Colorado area

Fort Morgan, Colorado Home Station on the Overland Trail

Fort Phantom Hill, Abilene, TX Although "Fort Phantom Hill" sounds like the quintessential name for a outpost on the wild plains of Texas in the mid 1800s, the fort actually never received a legal name. This fort was built in late 1851, not only with no official name, but also at the wrong intended location.

Along the Santa Fe Trail a mountain pass just inside New Mexico from Colorado is Raton

Fort Richardson, TX Established in 1866, it was near Fort Richardson in 1871 that the wagon train massacre occurred that led to Colonel Ranald Mackenzie's campaign against the Kiowas, Comanches, and Kickapoos.

Fort Riley, KS In the fall of 1852, a surveying party selected the junction of the Republican and Smoky Hill Rivers as a site for a Fort Center, named because the location was believed to be near the center of the United States. It offered an advantageous location from which to organize, train and equip troops in protecting the overland trails. In 1853 it became "Fort Riley"

Fort Robinson, NE Was established in March 1874 on the White River, and for over 70 years it was the most important military outpost in the region.

Fort Robinson State Park Nebraska's largest and most historic state park, Fort Robinson was an active military post from 1874 to 1948.

Fort D.A. Russell (now Warren AFB, WY) A good history of the Fort and of the AF Base.

The Santa Clarita Historical Society in California, is dedicated to the preservation of historical buildings in the Santa Clara Valley. The Project Director for the Virginia Dale Preservation Project has ties to the "Mitchell Adobe"

Fort St. Vrain on the Overland Trail, established by Ceran St. Vrain. General Fremont reorganized his historic exploring expedition here in 1848. This fort was also visited by Francis Parkman and Kit Carson.

Fort St. Vrain Built by Ceran St. Vrain and the Bent brothers in 1837 near present day Platteville, Colorado, St. Vrain's Fort was a major trading post on the Platte River until 1845. Today the fort is in danger of proposed gravel mining.!

Fort Martin Scott, TX Established near Fredericksburg late in 1848 to guard the western frontier line.

Fort Scott, Kansas Named after General Winfield Scott, the fort's primary purpose was to police and protect the permanent Indian Frontier.

Fort Sedgwick, was located opposite the mouth of Lodgepole Creek about a mile upriver from Julesburg, Colorado. Named after Major John Sedgwick, called by some a coward, by others a hero, it was established in the summer of 1864, and officially abandoned in 1871.

Fort Selden State Monument The United States Govenment built Fort Selden near the town of Las Cruces in 1865 to protect settlers from outlaws and Apache Indians

Fort Selden, NM The Friends of Fort Selden: On every second Saturday of the month, history comes alive at Fort Selden, during which the Friends hold their monthly encampment.

Fort Sherman (Coeur d'Alene) was established in 1878 to keep peace between the settlers and Native Americans.

Fort Sidney, NE Built to give protection to engineers and railroad crews working on the transcontinental Union Pacific railroad.

Fort Smith National Historic Site Administered by the National Park Service, Fort Smith National Historic Site, approximately 35 acres, contains the remains of a first Fort Smith Arkansas (1817-1824), and second Fort Smith (1838-1871) and a subsequent U.S. District Court (1872-1896). Includes visitor center/museum.

Fort Snelling Discover an 1820s military outpost once at the edge of a small settlement but now at the center of Minnesota's Twin Cities metropolitan area.

Fort Stanton, NM Fort Stanton is an historic site located in an obscure but scenic area of New Mexico, a turnoff four miles southeast of Capitan on state highway 214. First established in 1855 in what was then the Arizona Territory, it was a primitive military post.

The battle for Fort Stanton Originally forts were constructed to protect the people. Now, it is the people�s turn to protect Fort Stanton. This fort is the only standing, intact fort dating back to pre-civil war days. Seventy percent of its original buildings are still standing. Read about plans to put it on the auction block.

Fort Stockton Camp Stockton, TX was formally established in March 1859. It was named in honor of Captain Robert Field Stockton, a prominent navy officer in the Mexican War.

Fort Sumner State Monument, NM As more and more Americans settled in the territory of New Mexico, they met increasingly fierce resistance from the Mescalero Apache and Navajo peoples who fought to maintain control of their traditional lands and their nomadic way of life.

Fort Sumner, NM Established in 1862, the "real" site of Billy the Kid's Grave

Fort Sumner A nice history of the town and the surrounding area

Fort Sumner, NM From the Eastern New Mexico Tourism Association

The Dalles, Oregon An excellent account of this area which began as an Indian home thousands of years before Lewis and Clark camped here in October 1805. The mission here gave help to thousands of starving ill and desperate emigrants of the Oregon Trail.

Tie Siding, Wyoming A town that played a major role in the tie business for the building of the Union Pacific Railroad

The town too tough to die: Tombstone, Arizona

Tombstone: The Town still features many of the original buildings

Tombstone, Arizona The Historical Page: clearing up the myths surrounding Tombstone

Tombstone, Arizona The western town with more gambling houses, saloons, and a larger "boothill" and "red light" district than any town in the southwest.

Fort Union, New Mexico Along the Santa Fe Trail, this fort was established in 1851.

An excellent history of Fort Union, New Mexico

Fort Union, NM Good photos!

On the Montana--North Dakota border Fort Union Trading Post A National Historic Site

Fort Vasquez This was a fur trading fort built in 1837 by Louis Vasquez and Andrew Sublette. It was subsequently destroyed by Indians around 1842, but partially restored later to be used as a stage station on the Overland Trail.

Fort Verde State Historic Park, Arizona Fort Verde was a major base for scouts, soldiers, and pack mules during the Indian Wars of the 1870's. Four original buildings remain making Fort Verde the best surviving military post in Arizona from that period.

Fort Verde Historic Park From the State Park pages. Includes facilities available, hours of operation, weather, etc.

Virginia City, Montana: A remarkably well preserved Victorian mining town

Virginia Dale, Colorado Home of the only intact Stage Station on the Overland Trail

Fort Wingate, NM Life at the Forts in New Mexico

The Wyoming Territorial Prison and Old West Park, located in Laramie Wyoming. Park entry is free, as are most summer events!

A History of Fort Yamhill Oregon Established on August 30, 1856 to oversee both the security of the Indians as well as the settlers living in the area.

Fort Zarah, Kansas: On the Santa Fe Trail Fort Zarah was one of a chain of forts built on the Santa Fe Trail to protect wagon trains and guard settlers. It was established in 1864 by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and named for his son, Maj. H. Zarah Curtis, who had been killed in the Baxter Springs Massacre Oct. 6, 1863. The fort was built of sandstone quarried from the bluffs about three miles to the north. These rocks were mostly of a deep purplish brown, varying to a light brown. They were usually hewn to a pretty smooth face and laid up in the rough in good solid mortar. The outer walls were about 16 inches thick, the inner walls one foot. Fort Zarah was successfully defended against an attack by 100 Kiowas on Oct. 2, 1868. It was abandoned in 1869.

Fort Zarah, Kansas Fort Zarah: established in 1864 by Gen. Samuel R. Curtis and named for his son, Maj. H. Zarah Curtis.

Alphabetical Listing of US Forts Very comprehensive list of links.

American Forts in the Western US and Territories Wonderfully complete info all about Forts... also includes forts in the Eastern States, Canada, and a listing of Historic Warships & Shipyards

Historic Forts of the Old West A nice listing with information on various forts

Historic Western Frontier Forts Links to other sites

A listing of Army Forts and major points of interest lying with the Department of Dakota, including military posts and towns.

Trading Posts, Stores, Mills & Blacksmiths Located in Kansas

Military Posts in the Northern Plains States A Listing of Forts with the year of Establishment and the year that they were abandoned.

Military Posts Located in Kansas prior to 1900

Forts in Kansas

Forts in Texas Old West Forts and Towns in Texas

Forts of the Malpais or "Bad Lands" Forts near White Sands New Mexico.

Fur Trading Posts of the North Pacific

A listing of the Various Forts that served the U.S. Army during the "Campaigns against the Indians"

A listing of Oregon Military Camps and Forts

Old West

Old West Literature and Newspapers

General History and Other Old West Sites

Other Links