Fort Assinniboine

Fort Assinniboine
Hill County, six miles southwest of Havre, Montana
Company Officers' Quarters at Fort Assinniboine
Site information
Controlled by	United States
Site history
Built	1879
In use	1879–1911
Battles/wars	Cree Campaign
Fort Assinniboine
U.S. National Register of Historic Places
U.S. Historic district
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Nearest city	Havre, Montana
Coordinates	48°29′59″N 109°47′39″W / 48.49972°N 109.79417°W / 48.49972; -109.79417
Area	160 acres (65 ha)
Built	1879
Architect	Lee, Col. J.G.C.; Devlin, L.K.
NRHP reference No.	89000040 [1] [2] [3] (original) 100002250 (increase)
Significant dates
Added to NRHP	May 31, 1989
Boundary increase	April 2, 2018

Fort Assinniboine was a United States Army fort located in present-day north central Montana (historically within the military Department of Dakota). It was built in 1879 and operated by the Army through 1911. The 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers, made up of African-American soldiers, were among the units making up the garrison at the fort. Determining that this fort was no longer needed after the end of the Indian Wars, the US Army closed and abandoned it.

In 1916 Congress authorized a reservation for the Rocky Boy's Band of Chippewa, who were landless. It became known as Rocky Boy's Indian Reservation, named after the chief who had sought the reservation. A portion of the fort was ceded in 1916 for use as a reservation; the land extended in both Hill and Chouteau counties. This was intended for landless Chippewa who had been pushed west out of their traditional territory. In the event, landless Cree and Metis, refugees from Canada, also settled at the reservation.