| Originally established as "Camp Missouri" just upriver in 1819. Floods in the spring of 1820 led to the construction of the permanent fort atop the original "Council Bluff." |
| Presidents during time of fort: James Monroe, John Quincy Adams |
| Nebraska firsts at Fort Atkinson: first military post, school, library, and large scale agriculture/livestock operation |
| Population: At its height, Fort Atkinson housed nearly 1/4 of the standing US Army (approximately 1,200 soldiers); roughly that many civilians lived just beyond the wall of the garrison. |
| Primary purpose: To protect the American fur trade by guarding the "gateway to the west." |
| The Missouri river originally flowed just below the east bluff of the fort. Today, its channel lies some three miles to the east. |
| Native Tribes: Pawnee (Gale's book), Omaha, Osage, Missouria, Otoe |
