Fort Ripley (Minnesota fort)

Fort Ripley
the United States
View of Fort Ripley from across the Mississippi River
Fort Ripley is located in Minnesota
Fort Ripley
Fort Ripley
Location in the U.S. state of Minnesota
Coordinates46°10′32″N 94°22′23″W / 46.17556°N 94.37306°W / 46.17556; -94.37306
TypeFort
Area91 square miles (240 km2)
Site information
OwnerUnited States Army
ConditionArchaeological site, one standing building
Site history
Built1848–49
In use1849–1877
FateDecommissioned
Garrison information
Past
commanders		John Blair Smith Todd
Garrison6th Infantry Regiment Co. A
5th Minnesota Infantry Co. C
8th Minnesota Infantry Hq
Designations
Fort Ripley
Location15000 Highway 115, Little Falls, Minnesota
Area5.5 acres (2.2 ha)
NRHP reference No.71000439[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 10, 1971
1876 plan of Fort Ripley
Lt. T. J. Sheehan Executive officer of C Company 5th Minnesota Infantry posted to Fort Ripley. Was sent to Fort Ridgley to assist administration duties at the Upper Sioux Agency for B Company. He assumed command of Fort after the hostilities broke out.
Bronze 12-pdr howitzer Fort Ripley had four.
(Bad-Boy) or Qui-Wi-Sain-Shish, Gull Lake Chippewa-Chief who fled to Fort Ripley when Chief Hole-in-the Day learned that he supported the "whites".
The State of Minnesota erected a monument to the Mille Lacs band of Chippewa at Fort Ridgely for their service at Fort Ripley.
The State of Minnesota erected a monument to the Mille Lacs band at the Fort Ridgely site in 1914 as it was frequented by the public. The Fort Ripley site had been abandoned and unused.

Fort Ripley was a United States Army outpost on the upper Mississippi River, in mid-central Minnesota from 1848 to 1877. It was situated a few miles from the Indian agencies for the Ho-Chunk and Ojibwe in Iowa Territory and then the Minnesota Territory. Its presence spurred immigration into the area and the pioneer settlement of Crow Wing developed approximately 6.75 miles (10.86 km) north of the fort. The post was initially named Fort Marcy. It then was renamed Fort Gaines and in 1850 was renamed again for distinguished Brigadier General Eleazer Wheelock Ripley of the War of 1812.[2] It was the second major military reservation established in what would become Minnesota.

In 1971 Fort Ripley was listed on the National Register of Historic Places for its state-level significance in the historical archaeology and military history categories.[3] It was nominated for its status as Minnesota's second major military post and for its role in maintaining peace and enabling pioneer settlement in Central Minnesota.[4]

Camp Ripley, a training facility of the Minnesota National Guard, was established in 1929. It includes the historic site of Fort Ripley and was named in its honor.[2] The nearby city of Fort Ripley, Minnesota, was also named for the old outpost.

  1. ^ "National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. July 9, 2010.
  2. ^ a b Johnson, Jack K. (November 30, 2018). "Fort Ripley". MNopedia. Minnesota Historical Society. Retrieved June 3, 2019.
  3. ^ "Fort Ripley". Minnesota National Register Properties Database. Minnesota Historical Society. 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2019.
  4. ^ Bredeson, Thomas (August 11, 1970). "National Register of Historic Places Inventory – Nomination Form: Old Fort Ripley" (Document). National Park Service.