Fort Pembina Abandoned

From the Daily Nor'Wester, August 16, 1895

From Frohne & Son History Military:

Established July 8, 1870. Located a mile and a half south of the town of Pembina North Dakota on the left bank of the Red River of the North, just above the mouth of the Pembina River. The Minnesota legislature petitioned Congress for the establishment of a post at Pembina because of the unrest in the Red River Valley and the danger of depredations by the Sioux Indians, who had been driven into Canada some years before. Major General Winfield Scott Hancock recommended the establishment of the post on December 8, 1869. The post served also to check illicit trade between the United States and Canada. Established by Captain Lloyd Wheaton, 20th U.S. Infantry. Originally called Fort Thomas, for Major General George H. Thomas, who died on March 28, 1870. The post was designated Fort Pembina on September 6, 1870. A Large part of the post was destroyed by fire on May 27, 1895, leading to its abandonment on August 16, 1895. The military reservation was transferred to the Interior Department on December 2, 1895, and sold at public auction.

For more on the second infantry regiment - the last regiment stationed at Fort Pembina, see here...