No Stockaded Forts Out West?

Why were the majority of western forts not protected by stockades?
While there are many reasons, the need was not pressing enough to justify the time, effort and use of rare building materials that would have been needed.

[@Someguy77-dp9iq]

They were forts Reno, PhilKearney, and C.F. Smith along the Bozeman Trail that had stockades

[@researcharsenal]

Phil Kearney is huge! It's amazing to see how long that perimeter was to stockade!

[@pikappasigma6145]

The Fetterman massacre and the wood detail.

[@marknelson2846]

​@pikappasigma6145 and the Wagon Box Fight too.

[@elkhunter307]

Ft Phil Kearny! Right down the road from me! Fetterman fight was pretty crazy to learn about

[@davidmeffe715]

I know Fort Defiance was attacked in 1860 over the grazing rights on land that was denied to the Navajo. The fort was nearly overrun as it was a surprise attack, but ultimately repelled. However Fort Defiance was never Stockaded. One thing that should be mentioned about the Western Forts, especially in the southwest, is that sometimes there just wasn't enough lumber being in a desert setting. Most of the Southwestern forts were constructed of Adobe.

[@JawnHuey.]

I think also Fort Wingate, it was the closes to Fort Defiance I believe and located in New Mexico still in the Navajo territory.

[@lynnadkins1079]

Where would they get the trees? I don’t see any trees to cut down.

[@daveroberts7295]

A great supply contract for someone.

[@researcharsenal]

Definitely a limited commodity out there!

[@curiousentertainment3008]

They would’ve shipped them from out east but I’m more surprised they didn’t make earth parapets around the fort itself.

[@pikappasigma6145]

Look at the Fetterman massacre.

[@Magdalenasfears]

I was thinking the same thing about the trees

[@craigsawicky1643]

Intelligently sited and sturdily built structures would preclude the need for restricting walls. The First things built, generally were to get people and stock out of the elements. Timber was scarce or long distances away often and needed for heat/cooking. Stone and Adobe were durable, and Stopped Bullets too..

[@marieroberts5664]

Fort Courage! FTW! Capt Palmenter , Stg O'Rourke, Cpl Agarn and all the rest (and the Hickowie Tribe) RIP.

[@LeBurns-63]

Bent's Fort in CO. Nice place to visit also.

[@MarcTheUtahan]

Mormon trail shoutouts are always appreciated. -Your Pookie Bear

[@researcharsenal]

You bet Marc! Maybe one of our videos can be one of your ridiculously long jokes! Lol

[@yungdraco6075]

Great video keep making these brothers

[@coreys1]

Fort Vancouver! But of course that was Hudson’s bay hey day and parts of the fort, like workers living quarters were outside the walls even still.

[@rogersheddy6414]

My favorite old west documentaries were Go Go Gophers.

[@williewonka6694]

Col. Kit Coyote- "What did he say?"

[@Carterironworks]

Most of the forts with a stockade where not military and where not staffed so heavily. That's probably why people think all forts had a stockade

[@tickles5289]

Why did you text "where" instead of were?

[@Carterironworks]

@@tickles5289 poor public education or autocorrect both are plausible. Could you not think of something more intelligent to respond with or do you enjoy pointing out random people's grammar mistakes?

[@danmccain3706]

Trading post. Had product to protect.

[@donwaltman4276]

Not a lot of trees?

[@Dinglesmckringles]

That's what I thought too

[@rachaelbrundy3837]

Desert does not have a lots of trees. High plains have some but not a lot of lumber type trees. Whole areas without trees or accessible water. But resupply stations were needed and so was a safe place for weary traveler’s

[@LuvBorderCollies]

Lumber was very scarce out west as in west of the Missouri River generally speaking. In southeastern South Dakota actual lumber was like gold until the railroad tracks were laid. But towns and such sprung up anyway with sod houses and town buildings were either brick or locally quarried stone. ADD:: Wisconsin was the hotspot for lumber production in the later 1800/s.

[@Wolfram762]

Awesome content guys!!

[@michaelflynn1136]

Ft Concho in San Angelo TX, was a fort that had buffalo soldiers. It fought the Apache and Comanche and rustlers for the expansion of the west. You should do a piece on that. It’s interesting stuff.

[@gallantcavalier3306]

Fort Reno, AKA Reno Station, AKA Camp Connor, Fort Phil Kearny, and Fort C.F Smith.

[@jonathanwilliams1065]

CF Smith is in the East

[@gallantcavalier3306]

@@jonathanwilliams1065you’re thinking of the one that was part of the Washington Defenses during the Civil War, there’s another in Montana.

[@rjohnson1690]

The Hudson Bay Co forts in the PNW were stockaded, those were not American or military. Fort Point and Fort Stevens were way more than stockaded. Then of course there was Fort Phil Kearney who’s need for timber led to the Fetterman disaster.

Phil Kearney, CF Smith

[@joycebowen8958]

That is so interesting, I never would have thought about that. On a second unrelated matter,you have really nice teeth.❤

[@nathanporrata9274]

Got a fort right down the road from where I live that had a wall around it

[@joecunningham7111]

Fort Apache in Cochise County Arizona was stockaded

[@georgeparsons7338]

Ft Phil Kearney and the old ft Gibson in what is now OK. FT Gibson was originally built as a stockade in about 1830 to 1840

[@ww2collecting881]

You guys should check out Ft. Washita. I intern there.

[@reddevil3527]

Also there was near to no wood. Importing the amount of good quality lumber needed would have been a logistical nightmare

[@DonBrillhart]

Ft. Gibson in Oklahoma. It's heavily stockaded but it's indian territory.

[@dejablue5746]

Plus there are no trees to cut down?

[@thomaseastmond7184]

Cove Fort?

[@bushcraftbasics2036]

Fort Sill OK is kind of cool as they are still using almost all the original buildings.

[@zacharywiedner327]

Fort Legorado was definitely stockaded. Kept the bandits from getting those gold and dynamite pieces.

[@jeffprice6421]

No trees...

[@clintlewis8122]

Bozeman Trail forts

[@sisterrose6830]

Fort Osage ?

[@morrisgutierrez7342]

Fort Phill Kearny?

[@JawnHuey.]

Fort Defiance and also Fort Wingate I believe 🤔

[@Glock36er]

Ft. Phil Kearney. The Fetterman massacre in 1868. Can't recall any of the forts in Texas, other than the Parker family stockade, (Cynthia Parker taken by Comanche) located east of Waco.

[@marvwatkins7029]

Fort Apache?

[@bookboy2]

Fort Vancouver in Washington was stockaded.

[@kurtrosado3245]

Fort Laramie?

[@teemusid]

That's the only one I ever saw, and I seem to remember it as having a stockade, but I was 7, and it was over 50 years ago. Even if it had one when I visited, it may have been added to fit with tourist's preconceptions.

[@niono1587]

Interesting, actually

[@BSAP1896]

While not a stockade, Ft. Kearny had trenches for its defenses.

[@AmericanVenom85]

Also, some areas just didn’t have trees

[@TheFirefist13]

Huh, I was expecting to hear "not enough trees". I mean, I know we've deforested a lot of land, but there some areas where I'd expect there to not be enough trees of the right size and shape.

[@masonbricke4568]

Which forts out west were stockaded? Every one of them in the movies.

[@11broomstickk]

A trench and earth berm surrounding the fort seems way more likely

[@jorgemartinpaez4376]

Ft Bowie stockade and ft Union NM the original, fort defiance

[@INeverMetAGunIDidntLike]

Fort Smith had a stone wall.

[@carsonblowers6928]

Fort Benton MT

[@dragonmartijn]

The people were just mostly peaceful.

[@pothoc1]

You also had to haul the trees because they weren't the Eastern Forest

[@lanceedwards8606]

No TREES!!

[@markwalker4485]

Wow looks like your cousin up north way out gunned you then. There are around 30 palisade or even stone forts from Manitoba west. They were military, fur trade and law enforcement.

[@iainsmith6643]

Fort Phil Kearney

[@JoseLugo-x5c]

U look gracefully good outfit

[@jamessveinsson6006]

Fort Collins

[@rafaelramos1486]

No timber

[@allangarcia2132]

The alamo

[@LJPMotorsports]

The Alamo wasn't a fort. It was a Spanish Mission (Church).