Fort Rice State Historic Site [ND]

Description

This site preserves remaining vestiges of a military post established in 1864 by General Alfred Sully to supply his campaign into western Dakota and to protect traffic on the Missouri River, a function the fort continued until replaced by Fort Yates in 1877. There is a marker on the site.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Father Marquette Memorial Scenic Site [MI]

Description

This historic state park hosts the national memorial that honors the Jesuit priest who established Michigan's first permanent settlement. Today, Father Marquette is recognized as one of the great explorers of the North American continent. On a rise overlooking the Straits of Mackinac, the Father Marquette National Memorial pays homage to this 17th-century missionary-explorer and the meeting of French and Native American cultures deep in the North American wilderness. Current attractions include the National Memorial, an outdoor interpretive trail, picnicking, and a panoramic view of the Mackinac Bridge.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services beyond signage available at the site.

David Thompson State Historic Site [ND]

Description

This site lies near the supposed route followed by trappers and traders en route between Canadian trading posts and the Indian villages along the Missouri River. It is named after the famous English explorer, scientist, and cartographer, David Thompson. There is a marker on the site.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Fort Towson

Description

Fort Towson was established in 1824 in response to a need to quell conflicts between lawless elements, Native American peoples, and settlers claiming the area as part of Arkansas Territory. The fort also served as an outpost on the border between the United States and Texas, which at that time was part of Mexico. Connected to the East by road, Fort Towson served as a gateway for settlers bound for Texas during the 1830s. Those passing through the area included Sam Houston, Davy Crockett, and Stephen F. Austin. When the Choctaw and Chickasaw were displaced from their lands in the Southeastern United States, the fort served as a point of dispersal upon their arrival in the west. The fort was also an important staging area for U.S. forces during the Mexican War of 1846. Fort Towson was abandoned in 1856 when the frontier moved west. During the Civil War, however, it served for a time as headquarters for Confederate forces operating in Indian Territory. In 1865 General Stand Watie surrendered his command near the fort to become the last Confederate general to lay down arms.

Website does not specify services available at the site.

Pawnee Rock State Historic Site

Description

To travelers on the Santa Fe Trail, this sandstone citadel marked the halfway point of the trail and was one of the most prominent landmarks on their long journey. Native Americans were said to have met at Pawnee Rock and reputedly used it as a vantage point to spot bison herds and approaching wagon trains. Visitors can stand atop Pawnee Rock while learning about the Santa Fe Trail, enjoy a picnic under the shaded pavilion, and contemplate the rich history of the Santa Fe Trail traders and the Pawnee Indians.

Website offers no specifics on services offered by the site.

Connor Battlefield Historic Site [WY]

Description

In the summer of 1865, General Patrick E. Connor led a column of troops from Fort Laramie into the Powder River Country of northern Wyoming. The Powder River Expedition's mission was to make war on the Indians and punish them, so that they would be forced to keep the peace. On August 28th, with the column located on Prairie Dog Creek, Pawnee Scouts arrived with information of an Arapahoe village encamped on the Tongue River. Following a night march with 250 soldiers and 80 Pawnee Scouts, Connor's force attacked Black Bear's Arapahoe village while the Indians were in the act of packing to move. The soldiers overran the camp and pushed the Indians 10 miles up Wolf Creek. The Indians fought a desperate rear guard action, protecting their families and eventually forcing the soldiers to withdraw. During this action, other soldiers burned the camp and its supplies, making it a funeral pyre for their dead. Indian casualties included 64 warriors and several hundred ponies. As the soldiers withdrew the Indians advanced, recapturing several of their ponies, and continued harassing the column for several days. Connor's column marched back to Fort Laramie following the establishment of Fort Connor on the Powder River near present-day Kaycee.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Killdeer Mountain Battlefield State Historic Site [ND]

Description

This site commemorates a battle fought on July 28, 1864, between troops commanded by General Alfred Sully and Sioux Indians. Sully's 2,200 troops, with the aid of artillery batteries, scattered the encamped village reported to contain 6,000 warriors, with losses of 5 soldiers and perhaps 100–150 Indians. There is a marker on the site.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.

Big Bottom [OH]

Description

Named for the broad Muskingum floodplain, the three-acre Big Bottom park is the site of a skirmish between Ohio Company settlers and some Delaware and Wyandot Indians on 2 January 1791. The Big Bottom massacre marked the start of four years of frontier warfare in Ohio, which only stopped when General Anthony Wayne and the Indian tribes signed the Treaty of Greene Ville.

Website does not specify any interpretive services beyond signage.

Lipantitlan State Historic Site [TX]

Description

Near this area, a wooden picket fort was constructed around 1831 by Mexican forces in anticipation of trouble with Anglo immigrants. The fort apparently was named for a camp of Lipan Apaches in the vicinity. In 1835, the small guard force that held the fort surrendered it to Texan forces without a shot being fired. In 1842, a battalion of Texas volunteers camped in this area. In an attempt to lay claim to the territory between the Nueces River and the Rio Grande, the camp was seized by Mexican general Antonio Canales, but the Mexican forces later retreated. Around 10 years later, during the Mexican War, troops under General Zachary Taylor passed through this area on their way to the Rio Grande.

The site is open to the public.

Website does not specify any interpretive services available at the site.