Supply & Demand

Supply and Demand. . The quartermaster and commissary storehouse once stood on this spot. Quartermaster and Commissary Departments worked together to keep the fort supplied., The quartermaster was responsible for the fort's uniforms, equipment, transportation, and shelter., The commissary supplied food and water. The commissary Sergeant would obtain food supplies from local sources whenever possible. Fresh foods were bought from Sioux City, Iowa, about 140 miles away., [Captions] , Lieutenant William H. Blyton took this photo of Fort Randall's quartermaster building in 1865., Steamer F.Y. Batchelor at Fort Buford landing, Dakota Territory. Supplies arrived from Sioux City by steamboat when the Missouri River was navigable., [Book pages] , In July a steamboat arrived with a full cargo consisting of military stores, clothing, building materials, barrels of salt pork, a cow, some hogs, and sacks of potatoes, onions, and turnips. A small herd of beef cattle also arrived, having been driven up from the settlements., Our clothing was insufficient. Any additional clothing we needed in that cold climate we were obliged to provide and pay for ourselves. Most of the soldiers made their own fur clothing, such as caps, mittens, coats, and boots., When the water was too high or too low for river traffic, supplies came by wagon train across the new Fort Randall Military Road.