Do You Know Where Fort Dakota Was Built In Sioux Falls?

Step back in time to 1865, when the bustling downtown area of modern Sioux Falls was nothing more than prairie and the echoes of recent conflict.

In 1865, Fort Dakota, a military reservation, was established in present-day downtown around 8th and Philips Ave., marking a pivotal moment in our city's history.

The fort's story begins with tragedy and abandonment.

In 1862, following the deadly conflict between settlers and Native Americans that resulted in the killing of Judge Joseph Amidon and his son, Sioux Falls was evacuated and burned.

The settlement remained deserted for three years until the U.S. Army recognized the strategic importance of this location along the Big Sioux River.

Lieutenant Colonel John Pattee chose this location on May 5, 1865, initially naming it Fort Brookings after a prominent local settler.

However, the U.S. Army later ordered the name changed to Fort Dakota.

The military installation was positioned near the falls, with the fort's boundaries claiming an impressive area of 70 square miles.

Fort Dakota remained operational until 1869, serving as a protective presence that encouraged settlers to return.

Many former settlers gradually returned and a new wave of settlers arrived in the following years, with the population growing to 593 by 1873.

Today, as you walk through downtown Sioux Falls, you're literally stepping on historic ground where soldiers once stood guard over the frontier settlement that would eventually become South Dakota's largest city.