Fort Sisseton (Britton, South Dakota, South Dakota)

Britton, South Dakota · South Dakota · Indian Wars

History & Significance

Built by the federal government in 1864 as Fort Wadsworth, Fort Sisseton was designed to assist settlers east of the James River, provide protection for miners bound for Montana and Idaho following the Dakota War of 1862, and suppress fighting among local Native American tribes. The 35-acre site was chosen for its ample supply of lime and clay for brick-making, a nearby lake for drinking water, and a thick stand of trees for timber and fuel.

Defensive earthen breastworks topped with stacked logs created an 8-foot barrier; initial buildings were constructed of logs and later replaced with stone and brick structures. At peak activity, the fort housed between 120 and 200 infantrymen.

Companies E and G of the 25th Infantry Regiment, an African-American unit, were reassigned to Fort Sisseton in May 1884 after Fort Hale was abandoned. By the late 1880s, with the Native population subdued, the Army abandoned the fort in 1889, and an act of Congress in 1890 transferred control to South Dakota.

The Works Progress Administration funded restoration of 14 surviving buildings in 1937, and in 1959 the state designated the 35 remaining acres as a Historic State Park. The fort was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973.

Map

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Sources

• https://gfp.sd.gov/parks/detail/fort-sisseton-historic-state-park/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Sisseton
• https://sdpb.org/rural-life-and-history/history-of-fort-sisseton
• https://sah-archipedia.org/buildings/SD-01-091-0059

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