Fort Ridgely
June 8th-9th 2019
The Site
Fort Ridgely was formally established on 29 April 1853, by Companies C and K, Sixth Infantry, from Fort Snelling. The site, chosen by surveyors about half a year earlier, was on the north bluff of the Minnesota River, near the junction of that stream and the Rock River. The location met the usual military requirements considered in site selection, which included available potable water, adequate forage for the animals, abundant building materials and fuel, and a sufficient tract of level land for the parade ground and buildings.
Fort Ridgely, Minnesota, rests securely in the annals of western American history because of the very significant role it played in the tragic 1862 Sioux Uprising. During the autumn of that year it provided protection for hundreds of homeless and stricken civilians. The post was actually besieged by hostile Indians on several occasions-an act not as common to history as it is to television and movies! And the fort served as a major focal point for the military operations that finally quelled the Central-Minnesota hostilities.
Nicollet County Fort Ridgely Website
