Fort Lincoln

In 1864, the residents of Huntsville became concerned for their safety so 150 people banded together and built their own fort. It took them three days to build the fort and, upon completion, the towns people lived in it 24 hours a day for the next 4 months. Of course, they also had their horses in the fort with them.

The fort was designed by D.H. Goodwin, a civil engineer. It measured about 4,000 square feet and had overlapping fields of fire. It was used continuously for a time and then off and on after that. There was a birth that took place in the fort and a wedding as well.

Olive Oakes describes being in the fort and looking up at the top of Hunt Mountain and seeing Indians going back and forth watching the settlers.

One of the occupants of the fort, David McShane, later built a house in Monument and added his own fort with an underground passge from the house to the fort.