Fort Keogh (Miles City, Montana)
Miles City · Montana · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Established in August 1876 by Colonel Nelson A. Miles commanding the 5th Infantry Regiment, Fort Keogh served as a strategic post in the immediate aftermath of the Battle of the Little Bighorn, designed to prevent hostile Cheyenne and Sioux bands from escaping northward to Canada. Initially called the Tongue River Cantonment, the fort was relocated one mile west in 1878 and officially renamed to honor Captain Myles Keogh, a 7th Cavalry officer killed in the battle.
In 1877, Fort Keogh became headquarters for the newly created District of the Yellowstone, a sub-unit of the Department of Dakota. Miles, respected by both his troops and Native American leaders, persuaded many Indian nations to settle on reservations through promises of fair treatment, though he engaged holdouts in combat including during severe winter campaigns.
Fort Keogh forces fought notably at the Battle of Wolf Mountain (1876) and the Battle of Lame Deer (1877), and in 1877 obtained the surrender of Chief Joseph and the Nez Perce at the Battle of Bear Paw Mountains, ending the last major Indian war in Montana. In 1900 the post became an army remount station, and during World War I the Fort Keogh station processed more horses than any other post, shipping them worldwide.
By Act of Congress dated April 15, 1924, jurisdiction of the Fort Keogh Military Reservation was transferred to the U.S. Department of Agriculture for experiments in stock raising and growing forage crops. The Fort Keogh Livestock and Range Research Laboratory continues operations, with the Station's Line 1 Hereford Herd having played a key role in genetic research of Hereford cattle.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Post-Little Bighorn military base (1876) with preserved officer quarters and barracks
- Named for Captain Myles Keogh, killed at Little Bighorn
- Historic structures on National Register of Historic Places
- Setting reflects Indian Wars frontier operations
- USDA Experiment Station occupies grounds
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Keogh
- https://www.mtmemory.org/nodes/view/127836
- https://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv98159
- https://www.loc.gov/item/mt0233/
- https://www.ars.usda.gov/news-events/news/research-news/2024/usda-celebrates-100-years-of-agriculture-innovation-at-fort-keogh-livestock-and-range-research-laboratory/
- https://milescitychamber.com/attractions/name/ft-keogh-livestock-range-research-laboratory/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=164231