The Fort Dodge Chapter, National Society
Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR or
DAR), is an active chapter, rich in history,
organized in November 1903, and chartered in
January 1904.
Fort Dodge is situated on the site of old Fort
Dodge, a frontier outpost established by the
United States government for the protection of
the border settlement against the Indians. It
was ordered established May 31, 1850, on the
Des Moines River near the junction of the
Lizard Forks, and was to be garrisoned by a
company from Fort Snelling. It was abandoned
as a military post in 1853. The town of Fort
Dodge was laid out in 1854.
Fort Dodge
Military Post
Location: The marker for the original
site of the military post is in the heart of
the city of Fort Dodge in front of what used
to be the Wahkonsa School, which has been
converted to the Webster County Social
Services building. This is located at the
northwest corner of 1st Avenue North and North
4th Street.
History: The Fort Dodge Military Post
started out as Fort Clarke in 1850, but in
1851, it was renamed to honor Henry Dodge,
Governor of the Territory of Wisconsin, and
also their Senator, who had fought in the
Black Hawk War and the War of 1812. Since the
original Fort, and all its barracks and other
buildings, occupied what is now the city
section of the present town of Fort Dodge, the
fort was destroyed after it was abandoned in
1853. In 1928, the Fort Dodge Chapter, NSDAR,
placed a large boulder with an inscribed
bronze tablet proclaiming the site to be that
of the military post.  A replica of the Fort Dodge
Military Post was built east of the junction
of U.S. Highways 20 and 169, on the north side
of the business route into Fort Dodge. It’s
now called The Fort Museum and has many
historical exhibits including one of the
restored buildings from the old military
post—the Old Arnold House.
Old Arnold House
Location: The house is in Webster
County, at the junction of U.S. Highways 20
and 169. Take Business Route U.S. Highway 169
East. The Historical Fort & Museum where
Old Arnold House is located is on the north
side.
History: When the old Fort Dodge
Military Post was abandoned in 1853, it had to
be torn down immediately as the town of Fort
Dodge was rapidly growing on the same site.
Only one building was saved and that was the
Old Arnold House, which was used for
quartermaster housing. It now stands in The
Fort Museum as a true representation of the
fort of the 1800s. The Fort Dodge Chapter,
NSDAR, placed a marker at the site.
A Chapter
Project
This cabin (pictured right) was an original
structure of the military fort established in
1850. It was first owned by Christopher
Arnold, who added rooms to expand the cabin.
In 1912, the Fort Dodge School Board
discovered the cabin in the center of a house
being removed for the Wahkonsa School. The
School Board offered it to any organization
that would preserve it. The Fort Dodge
Chapter, NSDAR, members acquired the cabin and
had it moved to Oleson Park and restored. The
cabin remained in the park until 1962, when
approval was given by the members to move it
once again to the newly constructed Fort
Museum. This cabin typifies an adjutant’s
office of the 1850 era.
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