Fort Ripley

Fort Ripley was established in 1848 as part of the U.S. government's effort to establish control on the northern frontier, with construction beginning on the west bank of the Mississippi River across from this point a year before Minnesota became a territory. Intended as a buffer between lands of the Dakota and the Ojibwe, it was also meant to protect the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago), who had been unwillingly moved from their land in Wisconsin Territory as part of that buffer. Originally known as Fort Marcy and later Fort Gaines, it was renamed Fort Ripley in 1850. Its presence encouraged further settlement by Euro-American immigrants. Although it was briefly closed amid demands to open more land for settlement, concerns about conflict between the new immigrants and the Ojibwe led to its reoccupation. During the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862, settlers took shelter in the fort's frame buildings because they mistakenly feared the Ojibwe would join the war. A fire destroyed most of the buildings in 1877, and Fort Ripley was abandoned in 1880. The masonry ruins of a powder magazine are the only visible remains, although a rich archaeological site still exists, and the site is now within Camp Ripley Military Reservation operated by the Minnesota National Guard.

Fort Ripley, Minnesota · United States