Near Pickstown in Gregory County, South Dakota — The American Midwest (Upper Plains)

Building Campaign

December 3, 2021

1. Building Campaign Marker

Inscription. "Our new fort is considered to be the most elegant and best constructed frontier military fort on the Upper Missouri. We consider our accommodations to be the lap of luxury in the wilds of Dakota Territory."
—Soldier at Fort Randall, about 1874

By the end of the 1860s, Fort Randall's log cabins had decayed into near ruin. In 1871, commanding officer Colonel Elwell Otis received orders to rebuild the fort and make it "more compact and better suited for the purposes of a frontier military post."

Over a two-year period, soldiers replaced the original log structures with two-story, gable-roofed frame buildings using lumber from the fort's sawmill. Most of these were built on the foundations of the original buildings, which were torn down or burned.

Captions:
This photo was taken by Lieutenant William H. Blyton with Company M of the 2nd Infantry in 1865. It shows the log structures of the old fort about five years before most of the buildings were rebuilt. The view is west towards the commander's house and fort headquarters. The storehouse is in the foreground.

This 1874 photo shows the fort after most of the buildings were reconstructed. The view faces south, with the new hospital at the top center.

Topics. This historical marker is listed in this topic

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list: Forts and Castles. A significant historical year for this entry is 1871.

Location. 43° 2.992′ N, 98° 33.615′ W. Marker is near Pickstown, South Dakota, in Gregory County. It can be reached from Stone Church Drive east of Toe Road West, on the right when traveling east. Located along the Historic Fort Randall parade ground trail. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Lake Andes SD 57356, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in East River.

It is also in the American Lewis & Clark Corridor,

on the prairies,

and on the Northern Plains.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Rupert’s Land

and also the Louisiana Purchase.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Drums, Drills & Recreation (here, next to this marker); Buffalo Soldiers (within shouting distance of this marker); Lifestyles of the Rank & File (within shouting distance of this marker); Civil War Changes (within shouting distance of this marker); Sitting Bull Surrenders (within shouting distance of this marker); Off-duty Diversions (within shouting distance of this marker); Daily Bread (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Dakota Boom & the End of an Era (about 400 feet away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Pickstown.

Related markers. Click here for a list of markers that are related to this marker. This is a list of markers along the Historic Fort Randall parade ground trail.

Building Campaign Marker, from the northeast image. Click for full size.

December 3, 2021

2. Building Campaign Marker, from the northeast

Building Campaign Marker, from the southeast image. Click for full size.

December 3, 2021

3. Building Campaign Marker, from the southeast

Credits. This page was last revised on December 16, 2021. It was originally submitted on December 10, 2021. This page has been viewed 185 times since then and 9 times this year. Last updated on December 15, 2021. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on December 10, 2021. • J. Makali Bruton was the editor who published this page.