AUG 31: Fort Meade Established

On Aug. 31, 1878, Fort Meade is established in the Black Hills of the Dakota Territory to control the Sioux and protect the Black Hills mining district.

The fort, originally named Camp Ruhlen, was renamed Fort Meade, in honor of Maj. General George G. Meade, Commander of the Army of the Potomac from 1863 to 1865 during the Civil War.

During its early years, Fort Meade was the headquarters of the 7th Cavalry, the late George Custer’s regiment. Commanche, the horse that survived the Battle of Little Bighorn in June 1876, was quartered at the stable from 1879 to 1887. It was at Fort Meade in 1880 that Major Marcus A. Reno, the controversial officer that led the initial charge at Little Bighorn, was court martialed and dismissed from service. Fort Meade was also the home of the 4th Cavalry between World Wars I and II.

In later years, the U.S. Army used Fort Meade to develop mechanized cavalry units and for training airborne troops.

According to documents submitted to the National Register of Historic Places in 1973, Fort Meade was developed over four distinct periods: a) the original wood frame structures dating from 1878 to 1900; b) more permanent stone and brick structures in the 1910s; c) refacing in the 1930s with fieldstone; and d) continued construction with a variety of materials from 1910 to 1971.

Following its closure as a military installation in 1944, Fort Meade was transferred to the Veterans Administration (VA) to be used as a hospital, a process that was completed in 1947.

Fort Meade in Dakota Territory in 1888. (Credit: Library of Congress)

Maj. General George G. Meade. (Credit: DeGolyer Library, SMU)