Fort Randall
About this property
The Fort Randall Military Post was established in 1856 to help keep peace on the frontier. It was located on the south side of the Missouri River in South Dakota, just below the present site of the Fort Randall Dam. The site for the fort was selected in 1856 by General William S. Harney. The fort served as a strategic site on the river to defend two lines of transportation; it operated for 36 years. It was named for Colonel Daniel Randall, a career Army officer who also served as Deputy Paymaster General of the Army Its strategic location along the Missouri River made it a key fort in two lines of western frontier defense. It was the last link in a chain of forts protecting the overland route along the Platte River. It was also the first fort in a chain of forts on the upper Missouri River. The most important mission assigned to the soldiers of Fort Randall was to mount expeditions to try to control the many Indian tribes on the Great Plains, primarily the Teton Sioux (Lakota people). After serving as an important base in the Indian Wars, Fort Randall closed in 1892. Fort Randall is located in Gregory County, South Dakota at 43° 01' north latitude, 98° 37' west longitude (43.0244, -98.6242). The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Randall Dam Project maintains the site which is open to the public. The fort's ruins are open for display with interpretive signage. In 2003, the Corps erected a stabilizing structure to help preserve the remains of the historic chapel. Fort Randall Dam - U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Archived October 19, 2016, at the Wayback Machine Fort Randall - Missouri National Recreational River - National Park Service Greene, Jerome A. Fort Randall on the Missouri, 1856-1892 (Pierre: South Dakota State Historical Society, 2005. x, 264 pp. ISBN 0-9749195-2-7
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Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).
Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
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Questions about this property
When was Fort Randall listed on the National Register?
Fort Randall was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on April 21, 1976.
What type of historic resource is Fort Randall?
Fort Randall is classified as a district in the National Register of Historic Places.
What is the period of significance for Fort Randall?
The period of significance for Fort Randall is recorded as the early_republic era.
Can I research the history near Fort Randall?
Yes. Aubrey Research reports search National Register listings, battlefield records, land patents, and other primary historical sources within any radius of a US address. A report for an address near Fort Randall will include this listing and all other historical records in the area.
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