Fort Dilts
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Fort Dilts | |
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| Nearest city | Rhame, North Dakota |
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| Coordinates | 46°16′43″N 103°46′33″W / 46.27861°N 103.77583°WCoordinates: 46°16′43″N 103°46′33″W / 46.27861°N 103.77583°W |
| Area | 8.3 acres (3.4 ha) |
| Built | 1864 |
| Governing body | State |
| NRHP Reference # | 80002907[1] |
| Added to NRHP | November 10, 1980 |
Fort Dilts was a makeshift sod fort built near Rhame, North Dakota, United States, in September 1864 to fend off attacks by Hunkpapa Sioux Indians led by Sitting Bull[2] upon an encircled wagon train of would-be gold-miners and a small military escort of convalescent soldiers.[3]
The wagon train had set out from Fort Ridgely, Minnesota, under the command of Captain James L. Fisk of the U.S. Quartermaster Corps.[4] In 1864, amidst the American Civil War, the Dakota Territory was relatively short of military protection. On September 2, the party came under attack by Sitting Bull and a group of Hunkpapa Sioux. Two days later, still harassed by the Sioux, the expedition found a suitable spot and constructed a defensive perimeter out of sod stacked 6.5 feet (2.0 m) high and 300 feet (91 m) in diameter.[3] The defenders named it Fort Dilts in honor of Jefferson Dilts, one of eight U.S. Army soldiers who had been killed, out of 50. A number of civilians died also.[4] Lieutenant Smith and fifteen others managed to reach Fort Rice, and reinforcements arrived to rescue the defenders on September 20.[3]
Fort Dilts State Historic Site has been a North Dakota historic site since 1932.[4]:2 As "Fort Dilts", it was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980. The listing was for 8.3 acres (3.4 ha) with one contributing site and one contributing structure.[1] Remaining at the site are a sod enclosure, wagon ruts, several grave markers, and an interpretive sign.[4]
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2010-07-09.
- ↑ "The US Army and the Sioux - Part 2 / Battle of the Badlands". National Park Service. Retrieved February 17, 2011.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Fort Dilts State Historic Site". North Dakota State Historical Society. Retrieved July 18, 2012.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 Kurt P. Schweigert (August 1, 1980). "National Register of Historic Places Registration: Fort Dilts". and accompanying photos, five from 1979 plus an aerial photo from 1965
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