1886 Kitchen/Mess Hall

The earliest mess arrangements for soldiers at Fort Clark were around open fires along Las Moras Creek near the spring. This building is one of Fort Clark’s eight remaining kitchens and mess halls out of nine built in 1886 to serve each company of enlisted men. It is built with locally quarried limestone and features a pier and beam foundation, double hung windows, masonry openings spanned with timber lintels, and two chimneys for cooking and heating. The building was later used for varied administrative purposes, including day rooms, unit offices, and supply and arms storage.