Fort Maginnis facts for kids

Fort Maginnis was a military fort built by the United States Army in 1880. It was located in Fergus County, Montana, about 25 miles northeast of Lewistown, Montana. This fort was one of the last five forts built after the Battle of the Little Bighorn in 1876. Its main purpose was to help keep peace during the American Indian Wars.

History of Fort Maginnis

Fort Maginnis was built in 1880 near a place called Maiden, Montana Territory. Soldiers from the 3rd Infantry Regiment built it under the command of Captain Daingerfield Parker. The fort was named after Martin Maginnis. He was a major in the Civil War and later a U.S. Representative for Montana Territory.

Starting in 1881, soldiers from the 1st United States Cavalry Regiment also stayed at the fort. Fort Maginnis was used for about ten years. It was officially closed on July 20, 1890. After it closed, the buildings were sold to people living nearby.

Cattle Ranching Near the Fort

In 1879, a man named Granville Stuart and his friends Samuel T. Hauser and Andrew J. Davis started a cattle company. It was called Davis, Hauser and Stuart (DHS). Granville Stuart managed the ranch, which was set up on Ford Creek. This was just a few miles downstream from Fort Maginnis.

Being close to the fort was helpful because it offered some protection. It also meant the soldiers at the fort could buy cattle from the ranch. However, there was a big problem. The army claimed they owned all the land around the fort that was good for hay. This included land that the DHS ranch needed for its cattle. This disagreement lasted for several years. Finally, in May 1882, the army gave control of the hay land back to the DHS ranch.

In 1885, Lieutenant Colonel James W. Forsyth of the 1st Cavalry was the commander of Fort Maginnis. The fort was abandoned in 1890, at the end of the Indian Wars.

Fort Maginnis Cemetery

About half a mile northwest of the fort is the Fort Maginnis Cemetery. It is fenced off and can be seen as a rectangle from above. Some grave markers are still there, including those for people who were not soldiers. The cemetery, and the road leading to it, are on land owned by the State of Montana. This means they are open for the public to visit.

What Happened to the Fort Buildings?

After Fort Maginnis closed, some of its buildings were bought and taken apart. They were then rebuilt in Lewistown, Montana. One of these buildings is the Abraham and Mary Walton Hogeland House. This house is now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, which means it's an important historical site.

Visiting Fort Maginnis Today

The site of Fort Maginnis and its cemetery is in a remote area, so not many people visit it. Both the fort site and the cemetery are on land owned by the State of Montana, so they are open to the public.

The fort site is about 27 miles northeast of Lewistown, Montana. It's in ranching country, on the west side of the Judith Mountains, along Ford Creek. Today, you can still see foundations and ruins of the old fort buildings. These foundations are strong enough that you can still imagine what the fort looked like.

The GPS coordinates for the fort site are 47.185544° -109.138554°. The GPS coordinates for the cemetery are 47.187923°-109.147631°.

To get there from Lewistown, you can take US Highway 87 to Gilt Edge Road, then to Black Butte Road, then to Fort Maginnis Road, and finally to Collar Gulch Road. This will lead you to a place where you can cross Ford Creek by car onto State of Montana land. The creek crossing might not always be easy, but from there, it's just a short walk of a few hundred yards to the fort site.