Fort Phil Kearny

Fort Phil Kearny (1866-1868) - Established as Fort Carrington by Colonel Henry B. Carrington of the 18th U.S. Infantry in Jul 1866. Renamed for popular Union General, Philip Kearny, finally abandoned 31 Jul 1868.

History of
Built to protect emigrants traveling the Bozeman Trail north to the gold fields of Montana, and also to prevent intertribal warfare between Native American tribes.

Fort Phil Kearny was the largest of three forts constructed along the Bozeman Trail. The stockade enclosing the fort was 8' high, 1,496' long, 600' wide on the North end and 240' wide on the South end.

Current Status
In 1963 the fort was designated a National Historic Landmark and today portions of the fort site and the Fetterman and Wagon Box battlefields are included within the Fort Phil Kearny State Historic Site boundaries. There is a partial restoration of the front of the stockade and one "bastion".

Sources:
 * , page 202
 * Field, Ron, Forts of the American Frontier 1820-91: Central and Northern Plains, Osprey Publishing, Elms Court, Chapel Way, Botley, Oxford OX2 9LP, United Kingdom, 2005, ISBN: 1 84176 775 1, page 18-19
 * , page 861

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Phil Kearny
 * State Historic Site
 * Travel to Wyoming
 * State Park
 * Wikipedia - Fort Phil Kearny
 * Society of the Military Horse thread on Ft. Phil Kearny