Fort Ripley was a United States Army outpost on the upper Mississippi River, in mid-central Minnesota from 1848 to 1877.

Its presence spurred immigration into the area and the pioneer settlement of Crow Wing developed approximately 6.75 miles (10.86 km) north of the fort.

The fort had a partial stockade with the side facing the river completely open except for two of the three block houses.

The government also hoped that the Ho-Chunk, and the fort, would serve as a buffer between the Santee Dakota and the Chippewa, who were warring.

In April 1849, Company A of the 6th Infantry Regiment arrived from Fort Snelling to take up quarters under the command of Captain John Blair Smith Todd.

The geographic isolation, summer mosquitoes, and long, cold winters made post life challenging.

It went north through Cottage Grove, Newport, St. Paul, St. Anthony Falls to Crow Wing seven miles past Fort Ripley.

In 1855 C Co. 10th Infantry became the garrison, and the Ho-Chunk were forced to move again—to a reservation in Blue Earth County, Minnesota.

Almost immediately, disturbances broke out between settlers and some Ojibwe, prompting reactivation of the fort by a Company of the 2nd Infantry.

[12] From 1857 to 1861 Companies G, I, L 2nd Artillery Regiment were variously posted to northern forts Snelling, Ridgely, and Ripley.

This configuration was chosen because the Ho-Chunk reservation abutted the west bank of the river and caused consternation for those who wanted the unused east side opened to homesteaders.

1st Lt. Timothy J. Sheehan and 50 men of C Company had gone to the Upper Sioux Agency leaving a small garrison at Ripley under Lt. Frank B.

[17] His troop arrived the first week of August at the Upper Sioux Agency and were quickly dispatched to bring in the renegade Chief Inkpaduta.

There, after a heated exchange, Sheehan had got the indian agent Galbraith to give out food to nearly 4,000 Sisseton and Whapeton.

A messenger caught up with them near Glencoe informing them of the attack at the Lower Sioux Agency and Redwood Ferry ambush.

Meanwhile, at Fort Ripley, indian agent Lucius C. Walker had requested Lt. Forbes arrest Chief Hole-in-the-Day fearing he would attack.

According to the media Chief Hole in the Day of the Gull Lake Band considered the Sioux conflict as an opportunity to gain leverage for redress of grievances by threatened to launch a simultaneous war in northern Minnesota.

Word reached the Mille Lacs Band reservation that Chief Hole-in-the-Day was considering attacking the fort.

[22] The Indian commissioner Dole met with them and told them to return to the reservation and they would be contacted if their assistance was needed.

Shortly after the executions in Makato the Chippewa leaders were summoned to Washington where Lincoln repeated that the Milles Lacs could remain on their reservation for a 1000 years.

The Chippewa signed another treaty in 1864 where it is reiterated with the addition that the Sandy Lake band could not be moved without Presidential approval.

The State erected a large monument to the Chief and the Mille Lacs band at Fort Ridgely in 1914.

On September 2 two Chiefs of the Fond du Lac band were the first to send Lincoln an offer to fight the Sioux.

On September 8, 1862 a Mille Lacs Band Chief with 75-100 warriors was met and stopped at Watab, Minnesota just north of St.

In the end of January 1863, Captain Samuel McLarty and D Co 8th Minnesota were ordered from Fort Ripley to garrison at Pomme de Terre and Chippewa Station.

Believing the post had outlived its purpose, the War Department decided to permanently close it rather than rebuild.