Camp Porter facts for kids

Camp Porter was a temporary army camp in what was then Montana Territory. The U.S. Army set it up in 1880. Its main job was to protect workers building the Northern Pacific Railway. This was during a time known as the American Indian Wars.

Setting Up Camp Porter

Camp Porter was built on October 18, 1880. It was located on the east bank of the Yellowstone River, about three miles from where Glendive Creek joins it. Two army companies helped set it up:

• Company A of the Eleventh Infantry, which came from Fort Sully.
• Company B of the Seventeenth Infantry, which came from Fort Yates.

The camp was meant to be a winter home for soldiers. Their job was to guard the construction teams and supplies for the Northern Pacific Railroad.

Life at Camp Porter

In June 1880, Company B of the Seventeenth Infantry began guarding railroad workers. They were protecting construction between the Missouri and Yellowstone rivers. By October 21, they moved to the Yellowstone River. There, they joined the Eleventh Infantry to create Camp Porter.

The soldiers built their own living spaces. They used wood they found themselves. The army provided doors, window frames, and nails. Even without stoves, proper floors, or plaster, they tried to make the camp as comfortable as possible during the cold winter of 1880-81.

In July 1881, Major Lewis Merrill of the Seventh Cavalry took command. He was in charge of all the troops protecting the railroad workers. These troops included soldiers from different cavalry and infantry units. Camp Porter became the main headquarters for these operations. Soldiers from Fort Keogh would also rotate through the camp each month.

On October 17, 1881, Company A of the Eleventh Infantry left Camp Porter. They returned to Fort Sully, arriving a week later.

Camp Porter Closes Down

Camp Porter was a temporary camp, and its mission ended in late 1881.

• On November 29, 1881, the camp officially closed as a military post. The reason was that its job of protecting the railroad had been completed. Company B of the Seventeenth Infantry, the last unit stationed there, left for Fort Abraham Lincoln that same day.
• On December 7, 1881, Major Lewis Merrill also left Camp Porter. The work of guarding the railroad extension was finished. The camp's buildings and other items had been sold off the day before. This marked the final abandonment of Camp Porter.