Fort Shaw is a former US army installation constructed in 1867 to protect the white settlers from Native Americans’ attacks. The fort which was originally called Camp Reynolds was abandoned later giving rise to a school in its premise which was also abandoned rendering it permanently deserted.

A civil war in the offing?

In the early 1860s when the US purchased the region that would be Montana State, natives did not take this well as they felt their culture and norms were being taken away from them. Attacks and conflict ensued in the area and 1867, the USA commissioned the construction of the fort to keep the Mullen Road open and prevent more attacks from the natives.

Fort Shaw's name would later change to Shaw in honor of commander Colonel Robert Shaw. Under his wing, the all black army recorded major victories in the civil war. A facelift and renovation of the fort were seen when leadership changed to Colonel Gibbon. He finished the unfinished section of the fort, introduced gardening, and built a road that made the exploration of the region easier and safer.

Fall of a legend

Although the leadership of the fort changed once more, Colonel Gibbon left the region including the fort at a better place. Peace between the natives and white settlers was finally made leaving the fort with not much significance. The soldiers who were majority of the time bored, drunk, and partied with the Fort Shaw community nearby. The troops were later moved to a new fort Assiniboine which led to the closure and desertion of Fort Shaw and the neighboring Fort Ellis in 1891. The ownership of the fort was later transferred to the United States Department of Interior And turned into an Indian School in 1903. The school was later rebranded and was called Fort Shaw School. After eighteen years of existence, the school was later deserted and the Fort was abandoned permanently a second time.

Was the fort ever restored?

Fort Shaw is currently a historical site under the management of Sun River Valley. The school is the only section that is still abandoned. Some old buildings still exist and one of them has recently been turned into a museum. Fort Shaw's historic site is open to the general public to visit at any time though the museum located inside the fort is open in the summers only. Several dilapidated buildings still exist in the fort which can collapse anytime. On top of that, the fort, being an army base in the 1800s, has several toxic chemicals from the heavy pieces of machinery used during the war.