The fort served as a strategic site on the river to defend two lines of transportation; it operated for 36 years.

It was named for Colonel Daniel Randall, a career Army officer who also served as Deputy Paymaster General of the Army Its strategic location along the Missouri River made it a key fort in two lines of western frontier defense.

The most important mission assigned to the soldiers of Fort Randall was to mount expeditions to try to control the many Indian tribes on the Great Plains, primarily the Teton Sioux (Lakota people).

Fort Randall is located in Gregory County, South Dakota at 43° 01' north latitude, 98° 37' west longitude (43.0244, -98.6242).

[2] The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers-Fort Randall Dam Project maintains the site which is open to the public.