Fort Assinniboine
| Fort Assinniboine | |
|---|---|
| Hill County, six miles southwest of Havre, Montana | |
Company Officers' Quarters at Fort Assinniboine
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| Site information | |
| Controlled by | United States |
| Site history | |
| Built | 1879 |
| In use | 1879-1911 |
| Battles/wars |
Cree Campaign |
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Fort Assinniboine
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| Nearest city | Havre, Montana |
| Coordinates | 48°29′59″N 109°47′39″W / 48.49972°N 109.79417°WCoordinates: 48°29′59″N 109°47′39″W / 48.49972°N 109.79417°W |
| Area | 160 acres (65 ha) |
| Built | 1879 |
| Architect | Lee,Col. J.G.C.; Devlin,L.K. |
| NRHP Reference # | |
| Added to NRHP | May 31, 1989 |
Cree Campaign
Fort Assinniboine was a United States Army fort located in present-day Montana (historically within the military Department of Dakota), built in 1879 and in operation through 1911.
Following the Great Sioux War of 1876-77 and the disastrous defeat of U.S. Army forces led by General Custer at the Battle of Little Big Horn on June 25, 1876, and the defeat and capture of the Nez Perce, band of Chief Joseph by the U.S. Army in the Battle of Bear Paw in 1877, General Phil Sheridan suggested that a fort be built on or near the Milk River to ward off possible attacks from the North by the Sioux led by Chief Sitting Bull, who had migrated to the Cypress Hills in Canada, or by the Nez Perce, some of whom were also in Canada. Lt. Col. J.R. Brooke recommended the site where the post was established. The fort is located in Hill County six miles southwest of Havre (the county seat) on Highway 87. It was named for the Siouan-speaking Assinniboine people. The Native Americans never attacked from Canada.
The fort was located on a massive military reservation stretching south to the Missouri River, north to the Milk River and containing the Bear Paw Mountains. It encompassed 704,000 acres (1,100 sq. mi., 2850 km2) at its maximum extent in 1880. It later receded to encompass only 220,000 acres (344 sq. mi., 890 km2). At its peak, it garrisoned more than 750 officers and enlisted men and their families. With 104 buildings, the fort was one of the largest ever built in the United States.
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