Fort Elizabeth Meagher, named for the wife of Thomas F. Meagher, secretary and former acting governor of the

Montana Territory The Territory of Montana was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from May 26, 1864, until November 8, 1889, when it was admitted as the 41st state in the Union as the state of Montana. Original boundaries ...

, was established in May, 1867 eight miles east of the town of

Bozeman, Montana Bozeman ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Gallatin County, Montana, United States. The 2020 United States census put Bozeman's population at 53,293, making it Montana's fourth-largest city. It is the principal city of the Bozeman, Montan ...

at the mouth of Rocky Creek by Brigadier General Thomas Thoroughman and Colonel Walter W. De Lacy of the Montana Territory Volunteer Militia. The post's mission was to provide settlers protection against hostile

Crow A crow is a bird of the genus ''Corvus'', or more broadly, a synonym for all of ''Corvus''. The word "crow" is used as part of the common name of many species. The related term "raven" is not linked scientifically to any certain trait but is rathe ...

and

Sioux The Sioux or Oceti Sakowin ( ; Dakota/ Lakota: ) are groups of Native American tribes and First Nations people from the Great Plains of North America. The Sioux have two major linguistic divisions: the Dakota and Lakota peoples (translati ...

Native Americans Native Americans or Native American usually refers to Native Americans in the United States. Related terms and peoples include: Ethnic groups * Indigenous peoples of the Americas, the pre-Columbian peoples of North, South, and Central America ...

who were expected to invade the area following the murder of

John Bozeman John Merin Bozeman (January 1835 – April 20, 1867) was an American pioneer and frontiersman in the American West who helped establish the Bozeman Trail through Wyoming Territory into the gold fields of southwestern Montana Territory in t ...

in April 1867. The main post

stockade A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls, made of logs placed side by side vertically, with the tops sharpened as a defensive wall. Etymology ''Stockade'' is derived from the French word ''estocade''. The French word was derived f ...

, and a picket-post erected on the approaches to Bridger Pass, were designed to block the passes through the mountains into the valley. The post was abandoned in August 1867 when nearby

Fort Ellis Fort Ellis was a United States Army fort established August 27, 1867, east of present-day Bozeman, Montana. Troops from the fort participated in many major campaigns of the Indian Wars. The fort was closed on August 2, 1886. History The fort wa ...

was built.

Notes

{{Gallatin County, Montana Elizabeth Meagher Buildings and structures in Gallatin County, Montana 1867 establishments in Montana Territory 1867 disestablishments in the United States Native American history of Montana

See also

Notes