Fort Dearborn (3)

Fort Dearborn (3) (1803-1836) - First established in 1803 by Captain John Whistler, 1st U.S. Infantry on the west shore of Lake Michigan near the mouth of the Chicago River. Named after Henry Dearborn, U.S. Secretary of War (1801-1809). The original fort was destroyed by hostile Indians in 1812 and rebuilt in 1816. Finally abandoned in 1836.

Bronze tracings in the pavement marking the outline of Fort Dearborn in Chicago

Fort Dearborn (3) History

The first fort had a 12' stockade with two tall blockhouse, one on the southeast corner and one on the northwest corner. Inside the stockade were the hospital, barracks, officer's quarters, a stone magazine and the commandant's quarters.

On 15 Aug 1812 an ordered evacuation of the fort was begun with the assistance of Miami and Potawatomi Indians who were thought to be friendly. The Potawatomi turned on the column of soldiers and dependents, killing most of the soldiers and some of the dependents. The fort commandant, Captain Nathan Heald and his wife were captured and ransomed to the British along with the other survivors. The Potawatomi Indians burned the fort to the ground on 16 Aug 1812. This event became known as the Fort Dearborn Massacre because of the number of civilian casualties.

The second fort was built after the war in 1816. The new post had a wooden palisade, officer and enlisted barracks, a garden, and other buildings. This post was garrisoned until 1823, re-garrisoned between 1828 and 1836. Parts of the fort remained until an 1857 fire destroyed much of the post and the 1871 Chicago Fire finished off the few remaining buildings.

Current Status

The fort site is an official Chicago Landmark but nothing remains except some brass outline markers on the bridge and in the sidewalk.

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USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 1826873

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Location: Chicago, Cook County, Illinois. Maps & Images Lat: 41.888333 Long: -87.624722 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 584'

Sources:

• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 260

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Dearborn
• Wikipedia - Fort Dearborn
• Wikipedia - Battle of Fort Dearborn

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