A history of Fort Yates, 1875-1903

Of the old forts established on the Upper Missouri River, Fort Yates was one of the last to be abandoned. Unlike most military establishments in the West, it was not set up initially to protect settlers or travelers but rather to provide security for the Indian agent and safeguard government property. Located in the heart of the Great Sioux Reservation, the garrison at Fort Yates provided the steadying force to restrain the wild and unruly Sioux. There were periods of peace when the personnel of the fort lived a routine and dull life of frontier hardships. There were other periods when the danger of a general uprising or Indian war absorbed the attention of all