The original Fort Belmont was built by Norwegian settlers about 3 miles north of Jackson. They erected a hexagon stockade around an 18 ft. X 26 ft., 2 story cabin.
Eleven families (between 60 and 70 people) occupied the stockade for most of three years (except for winters), venturing out when necessary to tend to their crops and livestock. The following two years, the families kept the stockade intact for protection against Indian attacks.
Since Fort Belmont was completely constructed and occupied by neighbors, it was classified as a civilian fort. One of only two civilian built forts constructed in the Midwest in the mid-1800s.
Photo of Peter A. Olson, who was born at the original Fort Belmont in 1866.