Montana's DAR Markers . . . Honoring Where History Was Made

a sub-post of Fort Benton and was sited on the west bank of the Smith
River from 1869-1870.
The second site was 10 miles south and was active 1870 to 1880.
The primary reason for establishing the post was to protect miners (at
Diamond City, Castle, and Copperopolis), local ranchers, and the Fort
Benton freight route. The Fort’s first commander was Captain George
S. Hollister of the 7 th Infantry.
Fort Baker’s name was changed in 1878 to Fort Logan in honor of
Captain William Logan, who was killed on August 9, 1877, by the Nez
Perce Indians under Chief Joseph as the Battle of the Big Hole. This
Indian fighter and hero of many wars was shot in the battle by a
revengeful Indian woman. When his body was recovered, it was found
stripped of uniform, scalped, and one little finger removed. On this
finger, Captain Logan wore two rings–one mounted with various
Masonic emblems, the other, a seal ring that had been in the family for
generations. The seal was the family crest of the House of Bruce of
Scotland, engraved and enameled on a violet-colored stone. It was a gift
from his father when he started on his journey to America. Years later,
the rings were recovered from the Indians, who did not attach
significance to their value.
The Fort Logan Blockhouse is believed to be the only original of its
kind still standing in the Northwest. The fort’s buildings included
quarters for 100 men, officers’ quarters (two log buildings, one frame), a
log hospital, two storehouses (one of which was adobe and was still
standing in 1979 when extremely high winds blew in its walls), the
blockhouse, and a two-story log building. The log blockhouse is
unusually designed, with a square second floor set at 45-degree angle to
the square plan of the first floor, so that it presents an eight-sided
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