Camp Cooke, Montana
In the vast expanse of Montana’s landscape, where the Missouri River carves its way through the rugged terrain, lies a place once known as Camp Cooke. Established in July 1866, this U.S. Army post stood as a testament to the nation’s westward expansion and its complex relationship with the Native American tribes who called this land home. Situated on the banks of the Missouri, just upstream from the confluence with the Judith River, Camp Cooke, Montana was envisioned as a vital link in the chain of military outposts designed to secure the frontier.
The construction of Camp Cooke, Montana was undertaken by the First Battalion of the 13th Regiment of Infantry, under the command of Major William Clinton. The soldiers, using the readily available cottonwood logs, erected a classic quadrangular fort. These logs formed the basis of the barracks, designed to house up to 1,000 men. The structures incorporated adobe, a common building material in the arid West, to provide insulation and stability. A stockade, measuring 500 feet by 600 feet, enclosed the fort, complete with trenches for added defense. This physical structure aimed to project an image of strength and permanence in a volatile environment.
The name Camp Cooke, Montana itself pays homage to Brigadier General Philip St. George Cooke, a prominent figure who commanded the Department of the Platte at the time of the fort’s establishment. This naming convention was typical of military installations, honoring officers and figures deemed important to the Union cause. The location of Camp Cooke, Montana holds historical significance, as it was the first military post established in Montana Territory.
The strategic rationale behind Camp Cooke, Montana stemmed from a multifaceted set of concerns. Primarily, the fort was intended to exert control over the Native American populations in the region, including the Blackfeet, Gros Ventre, Assiniboine, Lakota Sioux, Northern Cheyenne, and Crow tribes. The increasing influx of settlers and miners, drawn by the allure of gold in the Montana goldfields, was encroaching upon lands traditionally held by these tribes. This encroachment led to conflict, as the settlers disrupted hunting grounds and depleted resources, leading to retaliatory raids and attacks on steamboats and freight wagons.
Beyond managing Native American affairs, Camp Cooke, Montana was also tasked with protecting steamboat traffic along the Missouri River, particularly en route to Fort Benton, a crucial supply hub. Steamboats were the lifeblood of the region, transporting goods, supplies, and passengers. Ensuring their safe passage was paramount to maintaining economic stability and facilitating further settlement. The fort also served as a supply point for these steamboats, albeit primarily during the high-water months of May, June, and July when navigation was easier.
Shortly after the establishment of Camp Cooke, Montana, entrepreneur Thomas C. Power recognized an opportunity and established a trading post, Fort Claggett, near the camp. Power’s enterprise provided goods and services to the soldiers stationed at the fort, and he even operated the commissary at Camp Cooke. This symbiotic relationship between the military and private enterprise was common on the frontier, with traders and merchants often following in the wake of military expansion.
Despite the perceived need for a military presence in the region, the location of Camp Cooke, Montana drew sharp criticism from Montana citizens and the press. The fort was situated deep within the remote Missouri Breaks, a region characterized by rugged terrain and challenging environmental conditions. Critics argued that the fort’s isolation hindered its effectiveness and made it difficult to support and resupply.
Reinforcements arrived in 1867, bringing the post’s strength to approximately 400 men. However, with limited steamboat traffic outside the summer months and a perceived lack of action, soldiers were often dispatched to other, more strategically important locations within the Montana Territory. Detachments from Camp Cooke guarded major transportation routes in Southwestern Montana, including the roads between Fort Benton and Helena. In 1867, they contributed to the construction of Fort Shaw and Fort Ellis, further dispersing the fort’s resources and manpower. For those who remained at Camp Cooke, life was monotonous, and the post saw little in the way of actual combat.
Life at Camp Cooke, Montana was markedly different from that at other military forts in the West. The isolation and harsh conditions took a toll on the soldiers stationed there. Some soldiers were unable to leave even after their enlistments expired due to the remoteness of the location. Dense groves of cottonwoods and heavy brush surrounding the fort provided cover for potential attackers, leading to constant harassment. The cottonwood logs used in the fort’s construction proved to be inadequate, splitting, swelling, and cracking, leaving the buildings vulnerable to the elements. Rain leaked through the roofs, and snow blew through the cracks in the winter. The fort was also plagued by infestations of fleas, bedbugs, rattlesnakes, and rats, making life miserable for the soldiers. Desertions to the goldfields were common.
On May 17, 1868, Camp Cooke, Montana faced a direct attack by Native Americans. The post was shorthanded at the time, as 100 troops had been dispatched to a summer camp on the Musselshell River called Camp Reeve. Despite being outnumbered, the garrison, under the command of Major William Clinton, successfully defended the fort for six hours, utilizing several cannons to repel the attack. Remarkably, there was only one casualty among the troops, and that was caused by an accident.
By 1869, the criticisms of Camp Cooke, Montana‘s location reached a critical point, prompting an investigation by Lieutenant Colonel Samuel B. Holabird of the War Department. His report painted a scathing picture of the fort’s deplorable condition:
"This unfortunate post is situated on the right bank of the River Missouri, at the mouth of the Judith, upon a sage bottom saturated with alkali. It is entirely overrun with rats and may be said to be in the process of demolition by them. The storehouses are in ruins; they were wretchedly constructed in the first instance, and nothing since has been done to remedy their shortcomings. General neglect and indifference characterized the post. The small garrison merely holds on in spite of rats. The Indians have moved away and left it alone. Little idea can be formed of what it costs the government to occupy this post and feed these rats; it would build a new post every two years."
The Helena Weekly Herald seized upon Holabird’s report, using it to advocate for the abandonment of the camp, hoping that the soldiers would be reassigned to more settled communities within the state. An article published on April 1, 1869, expressed this sentiment in no uncertain terms:
"We never learned who was responsible for the unpardonable blunder of establishing a post at that miserable, outlandish, isolated, bleak, sterile, and worse than useless spot, but one thing now appears to us certain, that an all-merciful Providence has visited this terrible plague of rats upon Camp Cooke, for the beneficent purpose of impelling the removal of a force of enlightened beings, naturally brave and efficient for their country’s service, to within the lines of civilization, where, instead of being themselves a sweet morsel for savages and ravenous vermin to prey upon, they may fill the grand object of their mission by protecting and encouraging the white settlers upon our borders, and at the same time open to occupation and usefulness the valley and mouth of the Musselshell, destined perhaps to be the head of navigation."
Responding to these persistent complaints, the troops were moved to Fort Benton in 1869, and Camp Cooke, Montana was officially abandoned on March 31, 1870, less than four years after its establishment. The remnants of the fort were then purchased by Thomas Powers, who owned the nearby Fort Claggett trading post. Powers established the large PN Ranch, which continues to exist today.
Despite its short lifespan and the criticisms leveled against it, Camp Cooke, Montana played a role in shaping the development of the region. It helped establish safe mail and stage routes, contributed to the construction of more permanent military posts, provided a degree of security to steamboats traveling on the Missouri River, and initiated efforts to engage with the Native American tribes.
Today, no physical remains of Camp Cooke, Montana exist. The site where it once stood is located at present-day Judith Landing on the Missouri River, within the Missouri Breaks National Monument. The location is situated at River Mile 86.8 Right. While the fort itself is gone, its history remains a part of the larger narrative of the American West, a story of expansion, conflict, and the enduring power of the landscape.