By Dawson, George M. (1849-1901) - Library and Archives Canada, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=24955966
Fort Hamilton was built in 1869 by John J Healy and Alfred B Hamilton to serve as a trading post. The original fort was destroyed by fire within a year. A second fort was built over the next couple years at the junction of the Belly and St Mary’s Rivers.
The sale of whisky was outlawed, but without law enforcement in the area prior to 1874, many whisky traders had settled in the area and taken to charging unusually high prices for their goods. One type sold was known as Whoop-Up Bug Juice, alcohol spiked with ginger, molasses, and red pepper, then coloured with black chewing tobacco, watered down, and boiled again. The fort became known as Fort Whoop-Up; the name was eventually changed.
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One of the oldest roads in the state, Fort Road was originally built by the federal government after Fort Ridgely was completed in 1853-54. Supplies were shipped from Fort Snelling to Traverse des Sioux, then transported by wagon to Fort Ridgely.
Nicollet County Road 5 runs more than 42 miles from its eastern terminus at its intersection with US Highway 169 in St Peter to the Renville County line. Old Fort Road presumably extended from Traverse des Sioux, although the portion running through the campus of Gustavus Adolphus College has been blocked off. Fort Road as an address runs from the western edge of St Peter to the end of CR-5.
In an ideal world, a paved trail would have been installed when the road was refurbished in the early 2010s. This planned geocache trail will have to suffice, but won’t alleviate my anxiety when biking here.