South Dakota has an extensive military history with at least a dozen forts being established in the territory throughout the 1800’s. The fortifications were built mainly along the Missouri River where riverboat traffic was used extensively to move cavalry troops into the region known as Dakota Territory. The first fort, Fort Pierre, evolved from a fur trading post and last just two years. Most other fortifications we also short-lived, their necessity disappearing as settlement spread westward across the Plains.
Fort Meade, named for Civil War General George Meade, was the last military outpost with an active horse cavalry. Today Fort Meade is the location of one of South Dakota’s Veterans Administration Hospitals, and boasts one of the finest military museums in the country. Read more about forts in South Dakota here.
In 1865, a unit of cavalry soldiers was sent west to keep the peace between incoming pioneer settlers and the Sioux Indians in what is now South Dakota. The soldiers built Fort James, one of the few stone forts on the American frontier. Time Team America traveled to South Dakota to find out how much of the fort survives so that it can be protected for future research. Watch the episode here.