Reed's Fort (2)

Reed's Fort (2) (1874-1888) - A fortified private trading post established in 1874 in present-day Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana. Named Reed's Fort after "Major" Alonzo S. Reed the first proprietor and postmaster. Abandoned in 1888. Reed's Fort Building Commerated as the First Post-Office in Lewistown, Montana. History Established in present-day Lewistown, Montana in November 1874. A private trading post that was purchased and relocated from Fort Sherman (3) by "Major" Alonzo S. Reed. Reed was not known to have been an actual Army major. The relocated trading post building became the town's first post office on 6 Jan 1881 and was known as Reed's Fort Post Office. Reed sold out to Frank Day in 1882. The town was renamed Lewistown in 1883. The Fort was located about 1.5 miles down Spring Creek from the site of Fort Sherman. The original cabin, later converted to a post office, still survives, located in a city park below the mouth of Casino Creek. "Major" Alonzo S. Reed and his partner named Bowles, purchased the Story and Hoffman trading post in 1874 at the present site of Lewistown in Fergus County, it was moved about a mile and a half down Spring Creek and reestablished as a very active trading center during the latter part of the 1870s. Abandoned in 1888. Current Status Reed's Fort Post Office DAR Marker. The original structure survives and is located at 301 Casino Creek Dr, Lewistown. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: 301 Casino Creek Dr, Lewistown, Fergus County, Montana Maps & Images Lat: 47.058488 Long: -109.424152 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 2,937' GPS Locations: 47.058488, -109.424152 Reed's Fort (2) See Also: Fort Sherman (3) 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 476-477 USGS Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) Database Entry: 798996 Links: North American Forts - Reed's Fort WayMarking - Reed's Fort Fortification ID: MT0166 - Reed's Fort (2) Visited: 14 Jul 2019