US Army Chief Quartermaster, Dakota; Reed and Stem, Robert Reamer
Architectural style
Colonial Revival
NRHP reference No.
03001032[1]
Significant dates
Added to NRHP
July 31, 2003
Designated NHLD
July 31, 2003[2]
Fort Yellowstone was a U.S. Army fort, established in 1891 at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was designated in 1872 but the Interior Department was unable to effectively manage the park. Administration was transferred to the War Department in August 1886 and General Philip Sheridan sent a company of cavalry to Mammoth Hot Springs to build a cavalry post. The army originally called the post Camp Sheridan in honor of General Sheridan but the name was changed to Fort Yellowstone in 1891 when construction of the permanent fort commenced. The army administered the park until 1918 when it was transferred to the newly created National Park Service. The facilities of Fort Yellowstone now comprise the Yellowstone National Park headquarters, the Horace Albright Visitor Center and staff accommodations.
Between the years 1891 and 1913, a total of 60 structures were made at Fort Yellowstone, of which 35 were still in existence one hundred years later. The fort was built in two major construction waves. During the first construction period from 1891 to 1897, mainly wood-framed buildings in what has been referred to as "cottage style" were built. A few of them had Colonial Revival architectural elements. A second construction wave began in 1908 and concluded in 1913. These structures were primarily built from locally quarried sandstone. Many of the structures from the later construction period are now used as administrative offices, residences for National Park Service employees, museums and visitor center. Beyond the immediate confines of the fort, cabins were constructed for use by small detachments of army personnel while on patrol throughout the park.
Besides the buildings of Fort Yellowstone, the army left a legacy of policies and practices that served as precedents for the future National Park Service management of national parks. The army military commanders implemented backcountry patrols, wildlife protection and management, and protection of natural features. Army educational programs were later adopted by the National Park Service as part of their resource management. The army effectively implemented law enforcement priorities and developed a ranger force that provided for prosecution and punishment of those engaged in illegal activity in the national parks. The National Park Service carried over a version of the campaign hat worn by members of the army during the last years of their management of Yellowstone National Park for use by Park Rangers.
^"National Register Information System – (#03001032)". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. November 2, 2013.
^"Fort Yellowstone". National Historic Landmark Program. National Park Service. Archived from the original on 2012-07-28. Retrieved 2013-01-25.
FortYellowstone was a U.S. Army fort, established in 1891 at Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone National Park. Yellowstone was designated in 1872 but...
Yellowstone National Park is a national park located in the western United States, largely in the northwest corner of Wyoming and extending into Montana...
complex of hot springs on a hill of travertine in Yellowstone National Park adjacent to FortYellowstone and the Mammoth Hot Springs Historic District. It...
The Yellowstone River is a tributary of the Missouri River, approximately 692 miles (1,114 km) long, in the Western United States. Considered the principal...
Washburn–Langford–Doane Expedition - 1870 exploration of Yellowstone river, lake and Firehole river basin Fort Ellis - Starting point of the Washburn Expedition...
(secondary coordinates) The geothermal areas of Yellowstone include several geyser basins in Yellowstone National Park as well as other geothermal features...
entrance to Yellowstone National Park in Gardiner, Montana, United States. Constructed under the supervision of the US Army at FortYellowstone, its cornerstone...
Affairs has the Fort Peck Agency located in Poplar. In March 2012, 63 American bison from Yellowstone National Park were transferred to the Fort Peck Indian...
Yellowstone Lake is the largest body of water in Yellowstone National Park. The lake is 7,732 feet (2,357 m) above sea level and covers 136 square miles...
path from Yellowstone to Fort Peck". Bozeman Daily Chronicle. Retrieved November 28, 2021. "Dozens of Yellowstone bison transferred to Fort Peck Indian...
Bibb Fort Bowyer Fort Carney Fort Claiborne Fort Condé, open to the public Fort Crawford Fort Dale Fort Decatur Fort Easley Fort Gaines Fort Glass Fort Hampton...
Department was compelled to erect basic facilities for its own use. FortYellowstone, Wyoming, was the most important of these complexes. The army buildings...
at the Little Bighorn. In 1877, the fort became the headquarters for the newly created District of the Yellowstone (a sub-unit of the Department of Dakota)...
administering the park in August 1886. The Army established Camp Sheridan (FortYellowstone) at Mammoth Hot Springs as park headquarters and developed systems...
homogeneous complex comparable to those of FortYellowstone or the original army post at Francis E. Warren Air Force Base. Fort Mackenzie was placed on the National...
Base Fort Halleck Fort Laramie Fort Phil Kearny Fort Platte Fort Reno Fort Sanders Camp Stambaugh Fort Supply Fort Washakie FortYellowstoneFort Atkinson...
Sheridan Is Living His Dream". Fort Worth Magazine. Retrieved January 21, 2023. Corcoran, Michael (December 24, 2020). "Yellowstone Creator Taylor Sheridan Learned...
The Yellowstone Expedition of 1873 was an expedition of the United States Army in the summer of 1873 in Dakota Territory and Montana Territory, to survey...
northwestern Nebraska Camp Sheridan (Wyoming), the original name of FortYellowstone. This disambiguation page lists articles associated with the title...
chief guide on the Yellowstone-bound Raynolds Expedition, led by Captain William F. Raynolds. Though unsuccessful in reaching Yellowstone, because of deep...
from reaching St. Louis. At the confluence of the Yellowstone and Bighorn Rivers, Colter helped build Fort Raymond and was later sent by Lisa to search out...
responsibility. Fort Logan National Cemetery, Denver, Colorado, in the newly formed Continental Division, assumed supervisory responsibility for Yellowstone National...
“1883”, a prequel to “Yellowstone”. Fort Laramie is one of several stops in The Oregon Trail (1971-) computer game series. Fort Laramie was an ally of...
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