Fort C. F. Smith

Fort C. F. Smith was a military post established the Powder River country by the United States Army in Montana Territory on August 12, 1866, during Red Cloud's War. Established by order of Col. Henry B. Carrington, it was one of three forts (along with Fort Phil Kearny and Fort Reno) that were intended to protect travellers on the Bozeman Trail, which connected the Montana gold fields with the Overland Trail at Fort Laramie. Originally named Fort Ransom, the post was renamed in commemoration of Gen. Charles Ferguson Smith. The Army abandoned Fort C.F. Smith as a condition of the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868.