Fort Sisseton State Historic Park - Lake City, South Dakota

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Fort Sisseton State Historic Park - Lake City, South Dakota offers an opportunity to visit the fort which has been restored and is open to the public. The fort’s name comes from the nearby Sisseton Indian Tribe, and it is now a picturesque state park that unfolds the area’s history.

Take a tour of the fort with authentically clad guides. Learn the history of the area, why the fort was built where it was, the lives and trials of the brave people that lived there.

The site of the fort (originally called Fort Wadsworth) was chosen for providing a strong natural defense, an ample supply of lime and clay for making bricks, an abundance of lake water for drinking and a thick stand of trees for timber and fuel.

This frontier fort was built during the Sioux uprisings of the 1860s and its well-preserved stone structures remain. As funds permit, the grounds are being built back as they were when the fort was occupied.

The Fort Sisseton Festival is hosted here on the first full weekend of June; the public is invited to enjoy historic events like square dancing, cavalry re-enactments, and tomahawk throwing contests.

Recreational facilities within the park include a campground, boat ramp, and a picnic area with kitchen-equipped shelter. Fort Sisseton and the visitor center are open daily from Memorial Day weekend through Labor Day; the park is open year-round.

Location: 11545 Northside Drive, Lake City South Dakota

Phone: 605-448-5701