Fort Ridgely State Historic Site

A Federal military fort, Fort Ridgely was established in 1853 to provide a military presence along the upper Minnesota River, between the line of settlement and the Dakota (Sioux) reservation system further upriver. A training facility for state forces during the Civil War, the fort came under direct attack twice during the U.S.-Dakota War in August 1862. The fort held, and it became a staging ground for punitive expeditions against the Dakota over the next three years.