The circle banner. [volume] (Circle, Mont.) 1914-1939, 1923-05-11

+ things that warranted newspaper
: comment"
: Fort Keogh continued as military
post for a number of years. Occupy
ing a strategic position, it served as a
protecting outpost to the incoming
settlers. For many years during the
Indian wars it was the greatest cav
airy post in America Subsequently
the war department decreed that the
western military posts should be
abandoned, and Fort Keogh shared
in the general fate. Thus it comes
with the advance of the years and
through the exigencies arising, that
for the second time in the history of
| the fort, its abandonment is again
before the war department.
| Following its first abandonment,
the old post, once the scene of great
activity and the center of military
maneuvers against the Indians, stood
empty and deserted for several years.
AS Remount Station
When the attention of the war de-
partment was called to the fact that
excellent cavalry horses were raised
in eastern Montana, it was decided
that Fort Keogh should be used as
remount station for the breeding and
training of horses for the cavalry
service.
The old buildings we're remodeled,
new stables and other structures were
added and the horse raising put into
the hands of expert cavalrymen.
Thousands of horses were bred and
broken at the fort and then shipped
as they were required to all parts of |
the United States to be used in the
cavalry. Among the three remount |
stations in the country, Fort Keogh |
was the largest and it is not con-
sidered to be an exaggeration to say |
that the best mounts for cavalry pur-
poses were prepared at Fort Keogh. |
During the late world war the fort |
was busy place. Horse buyers from |
all over the world, from Europe par
ticularly, representatives of the al
lies, expert horsemen congregated at
Fort Keogh and purchased the hardy
and fleet ponies of the plains of east |,
ern Montana. Since that time and |
as the demand for trained horses |
seemed to decrease, the war depart
ment continued to maintain the fort |
as a remount station. Furthermore,
under the command of Lieut.. Colonel I
Henry Gibbin, who was transferred
last year to the war college at Wash
ington, D. c., a new line of activity
was inaugurated which included the
importing of standard bred stations
for the benefit of the horse raisers
of this section of Montana.
At the same time an expert farmer
was employed to cultivate the bottom
lands. An irrigating system was in
stalled and every effort made to in
crease the usefulness of the fort prop
erty and make it self-sustaining It
is apparent that the expense of farm
ing the thousands of acres of bot
tom land and the keeping up of the
irrigating system resulted in deficits
at the end of each year, for at present
neither farming nor the operation of
the irrigating system is being kept ,
up.
Recently the war department
transferred to the department of the 4
the larger portion of the fort |
reservation lying west of the Tongue Il
river and it is surmised that some dis III
position will be made of it for other II
than military or remount station pur-
poses. II
Memories of Soldiers to Linger
Originally established as protect
ing military outpost on the edge of
The advancing civilization of half II
century ago Fort Keogh has been an
historic landmark through the years.
It's glory rose with the success of the II
warfare against the Indians, and per-
laps, in the light of its inception, its III
work having been completed, it is III
about to pass to become one of the III
ghost forts of the country. HI
Whatever its fate is destined to be, III
whether it is retained as a remount Iii
tation or abandoned; whether it be Iii
into military training HI
amp for summer occupation, or used | II
Is camp for rifle practice for west II
I'm troops, whether it be left to the II
,eeping of a caretaker, there will al III
Ways linger around the ground and III
through the buildings the memories II
Il those men who came with their II
eaders and made it safe for the adj HI
enturous advance guard of civiliza- II
ion to enter into the northwest when II
life was at stake and pawn for the II
nurderous redmen. II
The world may little note or long III
emember what was done during the II
alcyon DAYS of Indian wars in the III
ate seventies and early eighties, but II
he presence of the fort, in whatever II
ondition it may be left, will always HI
emain as monument to brave and II
aliant men who cleared the plains III
nd the hills of the dangers of Turk III
1g savages. III
Fifty years, at best, is but short II
eriod of time, yet within it Fort III
-eogh has seen the passing of the II
uffalo, the routing of the savage and II
ae establishment OF modern condi-
ons. 1t has seen the coming of the II