| Fort
Dearborn was named after Henry Dearborn (1751-1829), the Secretary
of War under President Thomas Jefferson. He also became the fort's
first commander. It was also his idea to build the fort to explore
the area with safety. In 1803 the fort's construction was started,
and it became the westernmost of the chain of forts. The fort was
built in 1808. For four years, the charred ruins of Fort
Dearborn remained untouched while war raged along the Canadian border.
When the last British flag was driven from the shores of the Great Lakes,
a period of peace followed, and in 1816 Fort Dearborn was ordered rebuilt.
Fort Dearborn was rebuilt in 1816, but since the Native Americans peace
with the soldiers was bad, the fort was closed in 1823 . Five years later
it was reopened following the outbreak of the war with the Winnebago Indians.
Soon after it was closed again in 1831 and reopened in 1832 because Chief
Black Hawk started his raids on Illinois and Southern Wisconsin. The remaining
buildings were taken over by Superintendent of Harbor Works in 1837.
All structures except for a few buildings adjacent to block house were
demolished in 1857.
The new fort was constructed on the same site as the first, and a garrison was stationed there until 1823, when it was decided that soldiers were no longer needed in Chicago. The frontier had moved west to the Mississippi River. |
Pictures of soldiers fighting the Native Americans.
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