Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana)

This article is about the fort in Montana. For the fort in Virginia, see Fort C. F. Smith (Arlington, Virginia).
Fort C. F. Smith Historic District
Fort C. F. Smith historical marker
Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana) is located in Montana
Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana)
Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana) is located in the United States
Fort C. F. Smith (Fort Smith, Montana)
Nearest cityFort Smith, Montana
Coordinates45°17′59″N 107°54′59″W / 45.29972°N 107.91639°W / 45.29972; -107.91639
Area307 acres (124 ha)
Built1860
NRHP reference No.75000163[1]
Added to NRHPOctober 10, 1975

Fort C. F. Smith was a military post established in the Powder River country by the United States Army in the southern portion of the Montana Territory on August 12, 1866, during Red Cloud's War. Established by order of Col. Henry B. Carrington, it was one of five forts proposed to protect the Bozeman Trail against the Oglala Lakota (Sioux), who saw the trail as a violation of the earlier 1851 Treaty of Fort Laramie. The fort was abandoned two years later in 1868 and burned by the returning Sioux under Red Cloud.[2][3]

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. March 13, 2009.
  2. ^ Olson, Virgil J. (January 24, 1975). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form:Old Ft. C.F. Smith and related sites". National Park Service. Retrieved 7 March 2012.
  3. ^ "Fort CF Smith Part 1 The Establishment". Bighorn Canyon National Recreation Area. National Park Service. Retrieved 7 March 2012.