Fort Sidney
Posted by: 
BruceS
N 41° 08.693 W 102° 58.151
13T E 670425 N 4556828
Nebraska historical marker located in Sidney commemorating the former Fort Sidney.
Waymark Code: WM21MG
Location: Nebraska, United States
Date Posted: 08/20/2007
Views: 30
FORT SIDNEY
Sidney Barracks, when established in 1867, was a temporary camp with one
permanent structure, a blockhouse located to the north. In 1869 the Fort was
relocated at this site and in 1870 the name was officially changed to Fort
Sidney. The primary service of the Fort was in protecting construction crews
from hostile Indians while building in Union Pacific.
Fort Sidney became a major strategic point on the Plains in the mid-1870's.
With the discovery of gold in the Black Hills, the town of Sidney and the Fort
became the major supply point. The trail to Fort Robinson and the Black Hills
was of strategic importance during the Indian troubles of 1874-1877 in serving
freight wagons and stage coaches. At the same time, Sidney was an important
trail town and railhead in the picturesque cattle business of the Old West.
The last Indian alarm at Fort Sidney was the most dramatic. In 1878 the
Cheyenne, under Dull Knife, broke from their reservation in Oklahoma and staged
an epic flight across Kansas and Nebraska. A special train was kept ready at
Sidney to be rushed either way to intercept the Indians when they came to the
Union Pacific. On October 4 the train was rushed to Ogallala, but the Indians
escaped into the sandhills. The post closed in 1894 and the buildings were sold
in 1899. ~ text of marker