Fort Atkinson in Winneshiek County, Iowa — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)
Guard House
Discipline When Needed
— Fort Atkinson State Preserve —
August 17, 2017
1. Guard House Marker
Inscription.
Guard House. Discipline When Needed. A small frame Guard House stood west of the North Barracks. It had two rooms, one for the guard on duty and one for the prisoners. A 75-pound iron grate separated the two rooms. The Guard House was most often used to hold soldiers who were being punished, but Ho-Chunk who tried to return to Wisconsin or civilians accused of abusing Native Americans were also confined there at times.
Fort Atkinson was built in order to protect the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nation from their rivals the Meskwaki and Sauk (Sac and Fox) Nations as well as the Isanti Dakota (Santee Sioux) Nation. It was, however, also built to limit Euro-American settlement in northeast Iowa until it could be done in a controlled fashion after the Ho-Chunk Nation was restricted to the Neutral Ground.
By 1848, the Ho-Chunk Nation was removed to the Minnesota territory. The last of the troops left Fort Atkinson in 1849 when the fort was put in the hands of overseers paid for by the military until 1855. It was then sold to private citizens of the area.
A small frame Guard House stood west of the North Barracks. It had two rooms, one for the guard on duty and one for the prisoners. A 75-pound iron grate separated the two rooms. The Guard House was most often used to hold soldiers who were being punished, but Ho-Chunk who tried to return to Wisconsin or civilians accused of abusing Native Americans were also confined there at times.
Fort Atkinson was built in order to protect the Ho-Chunk (Winnebago) Nation from their rivals the Meskwaki and Sauk (Sac and Fox) Nations as well as the Isanti Dakota (Santee Sioux) Nation. It was, however, also built to limit Euro-American settlement in northeast Iowa until it could be done in a controlled fashion after the Ho-Chunk Nation was restricted to the Neutral Ground.
By 1848, the Ho-Chunk Nation was removed to the Minnesota territory. The last of the troops left Fort Atkinson in 1849 when the fort was put in the hands of overseers paid for by the military until 1855. It was then sold to private citizens of the area.
8.738′ N, 91° 56.398′ W. Marker is in Fort Atkinson, Iowa, in Winneshiek County. Marker can be reached from the intersection of 2nd Street and 8th Avenue, on the right when traveling east. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 303 2nd St NW, Fort Atkinson IA 52144, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Credits. This page was last revised on May 26, 2021. It was originally submitted on May 24, 2021. This page has been viewed 83 times since then and 13 times this year. Photos:1, 2. submitted on May 24, 2021. • Mark Hilton was the editor who published this page.