Fort Niobrara facts for kids

Fort Niobrara was a military base in north central Nebraska. It was active from 1880 to 1906. The fort was named after the nearby Niobrara River.

Why Fort Niobrara Was Built

Fort Niobrara was built in 1880, after the Great Sioux War of 1876. General George Crook chose its location in 1879. The fort was placed on the south bank of the Niobrara River, a few miles east of today's Valentine, Nebraska.

After the war, many Lakota people were moved to the Sioux Reservation. This reservation was large and stretched across the Dakota Territory. The army wanted to make sure the Lakota stayed on their assigned lands.

Fort Niobrara was one of several forts built around the reservation's edges. It was about 7 miles south of the reservation and 40 miles from the Rosebud Agency. The main goal was to watch over Chief Spotted Tail's group of about 8,000 Brulé Lakota at the Rosebud Agency.

The fort was built off the reservation to avoid problems with the Sioux. It also helped protect settlers in northern Nebraska, who lived close to the reservation. The first buildings were made from adobe (a type of mud brick) and local limestone. Supplies were brought in by wagon from Neligh, Nebraska, which was 158 miles away.

How the Railroad Changed Fort Niobrara

The arrival of the railroad in 1882-1883 completely changed Fort Niobrara. It made the fort much more important and helped it stay open longer than many other frontier forts.

The FE&MV Railroad built tracks to Fort Niobrara and beyond. This also brought reliable telegraph connections. The railroad connected Fort Niobrara with Fort Robinson, 170 miles to the west. Both forts were near the Great Sioux Reservation.

The railroad and telegraph allowed the forts to work together more easily if there was trouble on the reservation. The fort also became a key place for sending supplies to the Lakota agencies. Military escorts from the fort protected these supplies as they traveled north.

Getting supplies to Fort Niobrara became much easier with the railroad. Before the railroad, it took 10 days to bring supplies by wagon from the nearest train station. The railroad also made it simpler for soldiers to move to and from the fort. This helped Fort Niobrara remain part of the army's network of bases, even after the main Indian Wars ended.

Fort Niobrara's Impact on the Local Area

Building the fort in 1880 made settlers in north central Nebraska feel safer. They had been worried about the large groups of Lakota people nearby. The railroad also encouraged more settlers to move into the area. In 1882, Valentine, Nebraska was founded, just four miles west of the fort.

The fort quickly became a big part of Valentine's economy. The fort's stores bought local produce like hay, corn, beef, milk, and eggs. Soldiers spent a lot of their pay (about $170,000 a year in the 1880s) in Valentine. The fort also hired local workers like blacksmiths and carpenters. All of this helped the town and the region grow.

Local citizens thought highly of the fort and its soldiers. When Cherry County, Nebraska was formed in 1883, it was named after Lieutenant Samuel A. Cherry. He was a Fort Niobrara officer who died while chasing horse thieves. Soldiers at the fort, both white and black, generally had good relationships with the local community.

Soldiers and Their Duties at Fort Niobrara

Early Years: 1880 to 1890

From 1880 to 1885, parts of the 5th Cavalry and 9th Infantry were stationed at Fort Niobrara. In 1885, parts of the 9th Cavalry joined them. The 9th Cavalry was a segregated black cavalry unit, often called "Buffalo Soldiers." It's important to note that from 1885 to 1890, there were very few problems between the white and black soldiers at Fort Niobrara.

There were no major battles involving Fort Niobrara soldiers in the immediate area during this time. The last big alarm came with the Ghost Dance movement in late 1890. In November and December 1890, soldiers from Fort Niobrara marched to the Rosebud Agency. They set up a camp and built defenses around the agency buildings.

Other army units from across the United States were sent to Fort Niobrara by railroad during this time. The fort became an important point for sending troops and supplies north to the Lakota, Dakota, and Nakota reservations. While there was tension, there was no fighting with the Brulé Lakota at the Rosebud Agency. This was different from the Wounded Knee Massacre on December 28, 1890, at the Pine Ridge Agency. Wounded Knee was the last major battle of the Indian Wars in the western United States.

Most of the time, from 1880 to 1890, soldiers at the fort had a routine life. One regular duty was to escort supplies and beef to the Rosebud Agency. In the 1880s, about 8 million pounds of supplies and 6,000 cattle were moved from Valentine to the agency with army escorts.

In the early 1880s, before strong local law enforcement was in place, the army at Fort Niobrara helped prevent crime. They tried to stop cattle rustling (stealing) from Indian herds. They also tried to keep white ranchers from illegally grazing their cattle on Indian lands. This sometimes led to disagreements with local ranchers.

Since there wasn't much combat, commanders at Fort Niobrara focused on training. Soldiers went on long marches, practiced shooting, and learned cavalry and infantry tactics. This training sometimes included large exercises with units from other forts who came by rail.

Peak Years: 1891 to 1898

After the Ghost Dance events of 1890, the army decided Fort Niobrara was still needed near the Sioux reservations. So, the fort was expanded. In early 1891, it became the headquarters for three regiments: the 8th Infantry, 12th Infantry, and 6th Cavalry. Many new buildings were constructed from 1887 to the mid-1890s.

In the mid-1890s, Fort Niobrara was at its strongest. It usually had about 500 soldiers. The units from the fort also played a role in national events. Because troops could be quickly sent by railroad, detachments from Fort Niobrara helped with civil unrest. In 1892, soldiers were sent to Wyoming during the Johnson County War. In 1894, units went to Montana and Wyoming to help stop the nationwide Pullman Strike by railroad workers.

Soldiers continued their field exercises, including long marches and target practice. This training sometimes involved units from other forts who traveled to Fort Niobrara by rail. In 1898, the U.S. declared war on Spain.

Final Years: 1898 to 1906

When the Spanish–American War began in April 1898, soldiers were quickly sent to southern ports for the invasion of Cuba. This meant many historic western forts, including Fort Niobrara, had most of their soldiers leave. The Spanish-American War led to the Philippine–American War (1899–1902) as the U.S. fought an uprising in the Philippines.

For four years (1898-1902), Fort Niobrara had very few soldiers, sometimes less than 100. The people of Valentine, Nebraska, missed the soldiers because their presence brought money to the town. They tried to get the army to send troops back.

Finally, in 1902, the 25th Army Regiment was ordered to Fort Niobrara. This regiment was a segregated black army unit, like the 9th Cavalry that had been there before. The 25th Regiment was returning from fighting in the Philippines.

Fort Niobrara became the home for the 25th Regiment from 1902 to 1906. The fort's population grew to over 800 soldiers and officers. Even though there were more soldiers than in the 1890s, the 25th Regiment wasn't used for active military duties. They mostly did training exercises, like marches and target practice. They did go to Fort Riley for large training events in 1904 and 1905.

The soldiers found ways to entertain themselves. Their baseball teams were excellent and played against other army teams. In 1904, the 25th won the Army Department of the Missouri baseball championship.

Over these years, it became clear that the army planned to close Fort Niobrara. Buildings were falling apart, and requests for repairs were denied. In May 1906, the orders finally came to abandon the fort.

On July 28, 1906, the soldiers of the 25th regiment left the fort. They marched to the Valentine train station, where hundreds of citizens gathered to say goodbye. Relations between the soldiers and the local community were very good during their four years at Fort Niobrara, with little racial tension.

However, the 25th Infantry's experience was very different when they were reassigned to Fort Brown in Brownsville, Texas, in July 1906. There, they faced strong racial discrimination. A shooting incident occurred in Brownsville in August 1906, and the townspeople immediately blamed the black soldiers, even though their white officers said the soldiers were in their barracks. An investigation found no clear evidence against the soldiers. President Roosevelt then ordered 167 black soldiers to be dishonorably discharged for a "conspiracy of silence." A new investigation in 1970 cleared the discharged soldiers. This event is known as the Brownsville Affair.

Famous Officers at Fort Niobrara

Some well-known military figures were stationed at Fort Niobrara:

• John J. Pershing: He was at the fort from February to September 1891. He later commanded U.S. forces in World War I.
• Frederick W. Benteen: He was briefly at the fort in June 1886, just before he retired. He was a survivor of General Custer's last stand.
• Lt. Col. James Sanks Brisbin: He served for two years at the fort. He was known for his book, "The Beef Bonanza," which encouraged raising livestock in the West.

What Happened After 1906 at Fort Niobrara

After the soldiers left, the fort was given to the Quartermaster Department. Only about seven buildings were kept for horse operations. The rest were sold and torn down, leaving the land flat.

From 1906 to 1911, a small group of quartermaster staff used the fort as a remount depot. They bought horses for the cavalry and artillery.

In 1912, after the horse depot closed, 16,000 acres of the original military land became a national game preserve. This was part of a conservation effort by the government. The remaining 35,000 acres of the fort were opened for settlement in 1913.

The 16,000-acre preserve has grown and is now the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge. It is home to large herds of buffalo, elk, and Texas longhorn cattle. The part of the Niobrara River that flowed by the fort is now part of the Niobrara National Scenic River.

Visiting Fort Niobrara Today

You can visit the site of Fort Niobrara today. A Nebraska state highway marker about the fort is on U.S. 20, about 1.5 miles southeast of Valentine, Nebraska.

The original fort headquarters was located where the Fort Niobrara National Wildlife Refuge headquarters is now. There are more signs there to explain the history. The Wildlife Refuge also has a visitor center.

At the Wildlife Refuge, only one building from the original fort remains. It's a red barn. You can also see old foundations and earthworks. To get to the Wildlife Refuge headquarters, take Nebraska Highway 12 (also called the Outlaw Trail Scenic Byway) east and northeast from Valentine for about 4.5 miles. Then, follow signs for the Wildlife Refuge, turning east over a bridge across the Niobrara River for about three-quarters of a mile.