National Historic Landmark Evaluation: Fort Sisseton

Stark Preservation Planning LLC; Stark, William; Anderson, Rolf

From introduction and summary description: "In September 2014, Stark Preservation Planning LLC (Stark) conducted an evaluation for National Historic Landmark (NHL) designation eligibility for Fort Sisseton, Britton Township, Marshall County, South Dakota. The study was completed on behalf of the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), which seeks to expand the state’s NHL collection to better reflect South Dakota’s role in national historical themes and to preserve places of great significance. The property was selected by the SHPO for its potential to represent national history. Three other South Dakota sites were also evaluated as part of this project and submitted under separate cover: the Spearfish Hatchery in Lawrence County, the Mobridge Auditorium in Mobridge, Walworth County, and the Prairie Homestead in Jackson County. Fort Sisseton is set within the Coteau des Prairies area near the Kettle Swamp in Fort Township, Marshall County, South Dakota. The location, on a 600‐foot rise above the plains and nearly surrounded by lakes, was strategically chosen for its commanding view of the region and for its controlled access. The original military reservation encompassed some 82,000 acres measuring 9 by 15 miles. The historic site is limited to the fort itself, which is now designated as Fort Sisseton State Park. The historic fort is a complex of buildings, structures and sites, mostly but not entirely contained within the earthen berm and ditch, measuring approximately 600’ by 700’, which served as a protective stockade. The buildings are generally aligned along the inner perimeter of the berm stockade, leaving a parade ground in the center. A stable and combination carpenter‐blacksmith shop are located outside of the stockade to the north and the commissary sergeant’s quarters to the south. The abandoned and disinterred cemetery site is located approximately a quarter mile west. Other potential archaeological sites related to the fort are located outside the berm as well." Funding for this project was provided in part through a 2014 Historic Preservation Fund grant to the South Dakota State Historic Preservation Office (project number SD-14-019, grant number P14AF00033) administered by the State, Tribal, and Local Plans and Grants Division, National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.

National Historic Landmark Evaluation: Fort Sisseton

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