Fort Ellis was established by the United States army in response to the fears of settlers in the Gallatin Valley area. It was completed and put into service on August 27, 1867 under the command of Captain R. S. LaMotte. The fort located a few miles east of present day Bozeman was named for Col. Augustus Van Horn Ellis of the 124th New York Volunteers, who had died four years earlier at the Battle of Gettysburg.
Major Eugene Baker, second commander at Fort Ellis and famous for his role in the Marias Massacre is near the Middle of the photo, with his hand resting on the rail. Gustavus Doane, who led the Doane-Washburn Expedition to the Yellowstone region is the fourth from the left side of the picture. This photo was taken by William Henry Jackson of the United States Geological Survey in 1871. Photo courtesy of the United States Geological Survey
The fort included housing and dining facilities for 400 men and had several other log buildings including a two story hospital and a rather elegant commander’s house. Fort Ellis played a prominent role in several events in Montana history, including the Marias Massacre in 1870, the Doane-Washburn Expediton to explore what later became Yellowstone National Park, and the Battle of the Little Bighorn.
Fort Ellis was decommissioned on August 2, 1886, just shy of nineteen years after it was established.
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