“Fort Randall Chapel”

Fort Randall was established by Brig. Gen. W.S. Harney in 1856 and named by him for Col. Daniel Randall, Deputy Paymaster U.S. Army. Construction was started on June 26, 1856 by 1st Lts. George H. Paige, 2nd Inf. and D.S. Stanley, 1st Cavalry, Col. E. Lee 2nd U.S. Inf. was its first permanent commander.

In 1875, soldiers of the Post, members of the I.O.O.F lodge, wanting a lodge room, combined this idea with a church and library, designed by George Bush, the post carpenter, a discharged soldier and they built this structure from hand sawn chalkstone from nearby quarries, aided in the quarrying and transportation only by the U.S. Government. Otherwise, it was an entirely private venture.

You are standing in front of the church. From the north the structure looked like the sketch above with the lodge hall in the center. The fort was finally abandoned in 1892 and this ruin is its outstanding vestige. Two devastating wind storms and a bolt of lightning wrecked the roof and rain and frost finished the work. Detailed drawings by cooperation of the Corp of Engineers and the National Park Service were made in 1947 and filed in the Library of Congress. The ruins

were stabilized by the Engineers in 1953. The orientation table adjacent shows the layout of the post and a walk over the parade grounds will show its outlines.

Gregory County, west end of Fort Randall Dam near old chapel (2003)