The buildings at the Fort were made of adobe, the clay for which was found near the place where the buildings were to be erected. Wood was used for fuel and kerosene lamps furnished light. Later, substantial frame buildings replaced those made of adobe and the Fort was enlarged to accommodate an entire regiment.
General John J. Pershing was stationed at Fort Niobrara for a short time in the 80s when he was a lieutenant in the regular United States Army. The Twelfth Infantry Regiment of the regular army was stationed at Fort Niobrara when the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898.
That portion of the reservation lying north of the Niobrara River which was opened to settlement was formed into Military Precinct. Settlers on this side of the river were required to pay the government from $1.75 to $7.00 per acre in three installments for their land according to its classification. They were allowed only 160 acres. The settlers on the south side of the river paid only the usual filing fee of $14.00 and they were allowed to file on 640 acres. The original settlers who selected land on the south side of the river have all sold their holdings and none of them are living there as this history is being written.
