Forts of the West : Military Forts and Presidios and Posts Commonly Called Forts West of the Mississippi River to 1898

The number and variety of forts and posts, together with changes of location, name, and designation, have posed perplexing problems for students of western history. Now Robert W. Frazer has prepared a systematic listing of all presidios and military forts, which were ever, at any time and in any sense, so designated.

The lists of posts are arranged alphabetically within the boundaries of present states. Pertinent information is included for each fort: date of establishment, location, and reason for establishment; name, rank, and military unit of the person establishing the post; origin of the post name and changes in name and location; present status or date of abandonment; and disposition of any existing military reservation. A map for each state shows the location of the posts discussed. A prime reference for historians, Forts of the West will prove useful to readers of western history as well.

Robert W. Frazer became interested in the western forts when he was working on Colonel J. K. F. Mansfield's inspection reports, which were published under his editorship as Mansfield on the Condition of the Western Forts, 1853-54, by the University of Oklahoma Press.