Fort Ridgely State Park & Historic Site

Destination Sites

How to get there: Located off Highway 4, south of Fairfax.

What you will find: A state park with camping, historic buildings and monument, horseback riding, and natural setting.

Services at this site: Yes

Fort Ridgely, built in 1853 without a protective outer wall, was a “police station” and staging ground for Civil War volunteers. It was attacked twice during the U.S.-Dakota War of 1862.

Nine years after Fort Ridgely was built, the U.S.-Dakota war erupted in August 1862. Dakota forces attacked the fort twice, on August 20 and August 22. Unkept promises by the U.S. government, nefarious practices by fur traders, and crop failure all helped create tensions that erupted into the fort that had been a training base and staging ground for Civil War volunteers suddenly became one of the few military forts west of the Mississippi to withstand a direct assault. Fort Ridgely’s 280 military and civilian defenders held out until Army reinforcements ended the siege.

This site offers opportunities for camping, hiking, picnicking, horse trails, a natural setting, and it provides access to historic Fort Ridgely and a monument. The Minnesota Historical Society administers the historic site.

Things to Do: Destination Site, Museum, Outdoor Activities, U.S. - Dakota War of 1862