Fort Ridgely was a United States Army outpost (1853–1867) near the Dakota reservation in southwestern Minnesota (located near Fairfax). Built between 1853–1855, it played an important role in the Dakota War of 1862. The Battle of Fort Ridgely was fought there in two engagements over August 20–22, 1862 between Army volunteers and refugees from the Minnesota River valley, and Dakota forces. The Army abandoned the Fort in 1867 and moved westward. Civilians occupied the remaining buildings and later dismantled the structures for their own use.