Fort Rice, North Dakota — History & Visitor Guide

Fort Rice (Morton County, North Dakota)

Morton County · North Dakota · Indian Wars

Quick BriefFort Rice was established on July 7, 1864, by General Alfred H. Sully as a field base during his 1864 expedition. The fort was named for Brigadier General James Clay Rice of Massachusetts who was killed at the Battle of the Wilderness during the Civil War. Fort Rice was the first of a chain of forts intended to guard northern plains transportation routes, evidence of the United States government's changing policy toward these western lands, encouraging their settlement and providing protection for Euro-American settlers. The post was abandoned on November 25, 1878, after the establishment of Fort Yates on the Standing Rock Agency.

Open to visitors

History & Significance

Fort Rice served as base of operations for General Sully's First and Second Northwestern Expeditions of 1864 and 1865. The first structures were built by several companies of the 30th Wisconsin Infantry under Colonel Daniel J. Dill.

In the autumn of 1864, six companies of the 1st US Volunteer Infantry arrived to replace the Wisconsin infantry. The "volunteers" were primarily Confederate prisoners of war, or so-called Galvanized Yankees.

During the fort's first year, eighty-one men died—thirty-seven from scurvy, twenty-four from chronic diarrhea, three of typhoid fever, ten of other diseases, and seven killed in combat. In 1866-1868, important Indian councils were held at the post.

The most important of these was the Great Council with various Sioux bands in July 1868. Although a key leader of the Lakota, Tȟatȟáŋka Íyotake (Sitting Bull), refused to participate, Father Pierre Jean De Smet did convince Sitting Bull to allow his chief lieutenant, Phizí (Gall), to attend this council.

As a result of this council, area Sioux bands signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, which ended the Red Cloud War and defined the boundaries of the Great Sioux Reservation. Between 1871 and 1873, Fort Rice served as the base for the First, Second, and Third Yellowstone expeditions, which escorted parties surveying the route of the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Four companies of the Fort Rice contingent of the 7th Cavalry accompanied Lieutenant Colonel George A. Custer on his Black Hills expedition in 1874. Two companies from Fort Rice fought in the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

Key Facts

StateNorth Dakota

LocationMorton County

Established1864

War / eraIndian Wars

Current statusMuseum / Historic Site

🧳 Visiting

What you’ll see when you visit:

Reconstructed cottonwood log and sod buildings from the 1860s frontier era
Treaty negotiation site between U.S. government and Sioux Nation
Exhibits on Indian Wars military operations and Dakota Territory life
Original fort remains and archaeological features on-site

Best time to visitLate spring through early fall (May-September) offers the best weather for exploring the North Dakota prairie, though summers can be warm and winters are harsh.

Getting thereBismarck (BIS) is the nearest commercial airport; the fort is located near Mandan in Morton County, about 30 miles south of Bismarck.

Fort Rice (Morton County, North Dakota)

History & Significance

Key Facts

🧳 Visiting

Sources

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