Fort Howard (Wisconsin)
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Fort Howard was a 19th Century fortification of the U.S. Army located in Green Bay, Wisconsin's first white settlement and an important center of the Fur Trade. Following a successful British invasion of Wisconsin during the War of 1812, the United States decided to construct a fort at each end of the the Fox-Wisconsin Waterway, an early route between the Great Lakes and the Mississippi River stretching from Green Bay to Prairie du Chien, Wisconsin. The two forts, Fort Howard and Fort Crawford in Prairie du Chien, were constructed in 1816. These forts were later joined by Fort Winnebago, built during 1828 at Portage, Wisconsin.
Fort Howard was located along the west banks of the Fox River in Green Bay. This location proved somewhat unsuitable, as mosquitos breeding in the nearby water caused an outbreak of malaria at the fort in 1820, causing the garrison to move to Camp Smith, on higher ground nearby. The fort was reoccupied after two years, but the fort's troops saw little or no military action. Instead, the garrison worked to keep peace between the local white settlers and the Menominee nation, and worked on the construction of a military road from Green Bay to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin. In 1841 the fort was abandoned as the troops were sent to Florida to fight in the Seminole Wars. The fort was later reoccupied, but the absence of any true threat to the region's peace meant that the fort was finally decommissioned in 1853. The fort's buildings then fell into decay and were cleared away, although certain structures, including the fort's hospital, remain standing. These structures have been relocated to Heritage Hill State Historic Park, which covers the former site of Camp Smith.
