Fort Atkinson (Nebraska)

Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Powder magazine at Fort Atkinson
Map showing the location of Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Map showing the location of Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Location in Nebraska
Map showing the location of Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Map showing the location of Fort Atkinson State Historical Park
Fort Atkinson (Nebraska) (the United States)
LocationFort Calhoun, Nebraska, United States
Coordinates41°27′18″N 96°00′51″W / 41.45500°N 96.01417°W / 41.45500; -96.01417[1]
Area154.36 acres (62.47 ha)[2]
Elevation1,073 ft (327 m)[1]
DesignationNebraska state historical park
Established1963
Visitors40280 (in 2017)[3]
AdministratorNebraska Game and Parks Commission
WebsiteFort Atkinson State Historical Park
Fort Atkinson
Detail of (reconstructed) west rampart barracks
Built1819
NRHP reference No.66000454
Significant dates
Added to NRHPOctober 15, 1966
Designated NHLJuly 4, 1961

Fort Atkinson was the first United States Army post to be established west of the Missouri River in the unorganized region of the Louisiana Purchase of the United States. Located just east of present-day Fort Calhoun, Nebraska, the fort was erected in 1819 and abandoned in 1827. The site is now known as Fort Atkinson State Historical Park and is a National Historic Landmark. A replica fort was constructed by the state at the site during the 1980s–1990s.[4]

The post, which included soldiers, traders, trappers, and other frontier people, has been credited by the Nebraska State Legislature as the first town in Nebraska. Founded almost 30 years before the creation of the Nebraska Territory, Fort Atkinson had more than 1,000 residents. It included a brickyard, lime kiln, stone quarry, grist mill, saw mill, and cooper shop.[5]

  1. ^ a b "Fort Atkinson State Historical Park". Geographic Names Information System. United States Geological Survey, United States Department of the Interior.
  2. ^ Cite error: The named reference ngpc2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference tourism was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ Cite error: The named reference ngpc was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  5. ^ (1912) Bulletin. Issues 2. Nebraska State Legislature. p. 7.