Fort Atkinson (Nebraska)

Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Nebraska State Historical Park
West ramparts of (reconstructed) Fort Atkinson
Country	United States
State	Nebraska
County	Washington County
City	Fort Calhoun
Elevation	1,073 ft (327 m)
Coordinates	41°27′08″N 96°00′45″W / 41.45222°N 96.01250°W / 41.45222; -96.01250Coordinates: 41°27′08″N 96°00′45″W / 41.45222°N 96.01250°W / 41.45222; -96.01250
Area	157 acres (64 ha)
Fort	1819–1827
- State park	1971
Management	Nebraska Game and Parks Commission
Visitation	29,665
Location of Fort Atkinson State Historical Park in Nebraska
Website: Fort Atkinson State Historical Park

Fort Atkinson was the first United States Army post to be established west of the Missouri River in the unorganized region of the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. Located just east of present-day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the fort was erected in 1819 and abandoned in 1827. The site is now known as Fort Atkinson State Historical Park and is a National Historic Landmark. A replica fort was constructed by the state at the site during the 1980s–1990s.

The post, which included soldiers, traders, trappers, and other frontier people, has been credited by the Nebraska State Legislature as the first town in Nebraska. Founded almost 30 years before the creation of the Nebraska Territory, Fort Atkinson had more than 1,000 residents. It included a brickyard, lime kiln, stone quarry, grist mill, saw mill, and cooper shop.

The site that would become Fort Atkinson was the Council Bluff (not to be confused with Council Bluffs, Iowa, 20 miles to the south), which was the site of an 1804 council between the Lewis and Clark Expedition and members of the Oto and Missouria Native American tribes. William Clark recommended the high bluff overlooking the Missouri River to the United States government as a suitable location to build a fort.

Fifteen years later, in 1819, President James Monroe dispatched a military expedition (the Yellowstone Expedition, led by Colonel Henry Atkinson) to establish a series of forts along the Missouri. These forts were to support the American fur trade and counteract British influence on the northern plains. The 6th US Infantry and 1st Rifle Regiments made up the military portion of the expedition, which arrived at the Council Bluff site on September 19. It was located near Fort Lisa and Cabanne's Trading Post, private fur trading establishments operated by major traders who were based in St. Louis, Missouri.