Old Fort Peck - Fort Peck, MT - Montana Historical Markers on Waymarking.com

Old Fort Peck was formerly located on the west bank of the Missouri River about one mile above the present site of Fort Peck Dam (Montana). The stockade was built in 1867 by Abel Farwell, member of the firm of Durfee and Peck who operated several trading posts along the Missouri River. In 1871 the Milk River Indian Agency was moved to Fort Peck from its former location at the mouth of People's Creek on the Milk River. This Agency represented the Assinboine, Brule, Teton, Hunkpapa and Yanktonai Sioux Tribes. Thus the stockade remained a combination trading post and Indian Agency until 14 July 1879 when the Agency was moved to the Poplar Creek and the trading post abandoned.
The principal reason for the abandonment of old Fort peck was the fact that the Missouri River was gradually washing away the ledge upon which it stood. The exact time at which the old Fort crumbled into the river is not known, but is believed to be just before the turn of the century. Old Fort Peck was never an Army Post and was not properly located to serve for military purposes. It was set on a comparatively narrow ledge of shale about 35 feet above the river level, its rear wall abutting the hillside. A visitor there in the seventies wrote that the front of the stockade was so close to the edge of the ledge thit there was barely room to turn around with a team and wagon. It was, however, close to the river and possessed a good wharf so it served as a convenient steamboat landing for the sternwheelers which in those days made frequent trips as far upstream as Fort Benton. Finally, in 1918, the river channel changed and destroyed all traces of the site of Fort Peck.
Source: http://www.fortpeckdam.com/historypages/?p=18

OLD FORT PECK
On the west bank of the Missouri River about 1 mile from the Dam was located Old Fort Peck. The stockade, about 300 feet square with walls 12 feet high of cottonwood logs set vertically, 3 bastions and 3 gateways on the front, and 2 bastions on the rear, inclosed quarters for men, store houses, blacksmith shop, stables and corral. Built in 1867 by the firm of Durfee & Peck as a trading post, the Fort was named for Col. Campbell K. Peck. Although not an Army Post it often served as temporary headquarters for military men and commissioners sent out by tne Government to negotiate with the Indians. To peaceful Indians it was an important trading post to trappers and rivermen a safe shelter from warlike Indians. Sternwheel steamers loaded and unloaded here and took on wood for steam for their journeys.
Old Fort Peck is history. Its site lies peacefully, with its memories, covered by a man-made lake which is formed by the largest earthfill dam ever built by man.