Fort Sidney Complex

955 6th Ave, Sidney, NE 69162
308-254-2959

Sidney Barracks was built in 1867 to provide security for railroad workers. In 1870 the post was renamed Fort Sidney. The post closed in 1899, but Fort Sidney’s stone powder-magazine building, post commander’s home and officer’s barracks remain as a museum. The Fort Sidney Complex is open the day after Memorial Day through Labor Day and for special events like its Christmas Lamplight Tours in late November and December.

Fort Sidney soldiers who died were interred at Boot Hill Cemetery. As the town grew and became lawless, victims of unusual circumstances were often buried under the cover of darkness, The remains were later removed. Boot Hill Cemetery is now a tourist destination, complete with mock tombstones. The names of those known to have been buried here are displayed alongside their cause of death: “shot by Indians,” “accidentally shot himself,” “typhoid fever,” “thrown from cart” and “saber intestine puncture” are among the causes listed.