Fort Solomon

In early 1864 settlers in Ottawa County, Kansas, began building Fort Solomon and completed it by the spring or summer. This structure replaced the much smaller dugout owned by the Chapman family and used as a refuge in times of trouble (see Chapman's Dugout). The new white settlers and the Indians in the area quickly developed a hostile relationship and many Indian raids followed.

Fort Solomon was built on the east side of a reverse "S" shaped bend on the Solomon River. It was built on level ground and the west side was bordered by a deeply cut bank along the river. The view in all directions from the fort was good.^[1]

References

^ Lavina G. Chapman, Short Stories of Pioneer Days (N.p.: ca. 1882), pp. 2, 6-9 (from the Ottawa Co. Historical Museum, Minneapolis, Kans.); Ottawa County History: 1864-1984 (N.p.: ca. 1984), p. 8.

[1] Lavina G. Chapman, Short Stories of Pioneer Days (N.p.: ca. 1882), pp. 2, 6-9 (from the Ottawa Co. Historical Museum, Minneapolis, Kans.); Ottawa County History: 1864-1984 (N.p.: ca. 1984), p. 8.

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