© Breanna Farrell, Road Affair
Oliver Cromwell’s forces recognized the ideal defensive location formed where River Nevis flowed into Loch Linnhe. In 1654, they built a wooden citadel intended to help retain their grip on the Highlands. After the Glorious Revolution, when Parliament was permanently established as the ruling power of England, and the Jacobite uprising that followed, King William approved a more substantial fortress.
In two weeks in July 1690, a fleet of naval ships, as well as General Hugh MacKay and his men, rebuilt the earlier citadel. 1200 troops took up residence, defended by 12 guns taken from the ships. A settlement developed close to the fort, which aided it becoming permanent.
The fort was held under siege by Jacobite forces in late March 1746. Two weeks later, they were decisively defeated by the Duke of Cumberland at the Battle of Culloden.
Fort William served as a garrison until 1855, and was later sold to the local laird. The North British Railway Company assumed control. Parts of the fort were removed to other areas in town, including the original main gate which was painstakingly reassembled in Craigs Cemetery.
Sources: Britannica, Wikipedia, Undiscovered Scotland
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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.