Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn was a United States fort, first built in 1803 beside the Chicago River, in what is now Chicago, Illinois.
A landmark inside Chicago
Winters are cold
January nights drop to 18°. When to go ↓
You can stay in Chicago
Fort Dearborn is inside Chicago, which has 151,046 hotel and restaurant jobs, so you won’t need a base farther out. Where to stay ↓
Established in 1803
Fort Dearborn dates from 1803. About ↓
Best months: May, Jun, Jul, Aug, Sep and Oct
May, June, July, August, September and October are the mild months, with highs of 63–84°. When to go ↓
An airport 10 miles away
Chicago Midway (MDW) has airline service, about 10 miles from Fort Dearborn.
Written from NOAA 1991–2020 normals, Census job and town figures, Wikidata and Wikipedia.
Weather, month by month
Typical highs and lows in Chicago. Green months are the mild ones.
Fort Dearborn
Fort Dearborn was a United States fort, first built in 1803 beside the Chicago River, in what is now Chicago, Illinois. It was constructed by U.S. troops under Captain John Whistler and named in honor of Henry Dearborn, then United States Secretary of War. The original fort was destroyed following the Battle of Fort Dearborn during the War of 1812, and a replacement Fort Dearborn was constructed on the same site in 1816 and decommissioned by 1837.
Parts of the fort were lost to the widening of the Chicago River in 1855, and a fire in 1857. The last vestiges of Fort Dearborn were destroyed in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871. The site of the fort is now a Chicago Landmark, located in the Michigan–Wacker Historic District, at the southern end of the DuSable Michigan Avenue Bridge.
- Type
- Landmark
- Established
- 1803
- Elevation
- 584 ft
- Listed
- Chicago Landmark
- Wikipedia readers
- 27K a year
Stay in Chicago, or close by
Towns within 30 miles, closest first. Hotel and restaurant jobs show how many places there are to stay and eat.
| Town | From Fort Dearborn | Hotel & restaurant jobs | People | Typical home | Safety |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago | in town | 151,046 | 2,711,226 | $334K | D |
| Cicero | 8 mi southwest | 1,308 | 82,797 | $249K | C+ |
| Oak Park | 9 mi west | 3,273 | 53,292 | $466K | D |
| Oak Park Township | 9 mi west | 3,273 | 53,292 | $466K | — |
| Stickney | 9 mi southwest | 416 | 6,952 | $245K | A− |
| Berwyn | 9 mi west | 1,911 | 55,595 | $300K | B+ |
| Berwyn Township | 9 mi west | 1,911 | 55,595 | $300K | — |
| Forest View | 9 mi southwest | 42 | 1,174 | $261K | — |
| Lincolnwood | 10 mi northwest | 1,056 | 13,112 | $496K | — |
| River Forest | 10 mi west | 358 | 11,992 | $687K | C+ |
| Forest Park | 10 mi west | 819 | 13,943 | $305K | D |
| River Forest Township | 10 mi west | 358 | 11,992 | $687K | — |
Day trip from
Straight-line miles.
Getting there
Nearest airports with airline service
Also near Fort Dearborn
Other well-known places within 8 miles. Numbered ones are on the map above.
Big draw1in town🏛 MuseumArt Institute of Chicago1.5M visitors a year
Big draw27 mi🏛 MuseumBarack Obama Presidential Center
32 mi🏛 MuseumField Museum of Natural History1.4M visitors a year
42 mi🏛 MuseumHull House
5in town🌸 GardenMillennium Park
6in town📍 LandmarkChicago Water Tower
77 mi🏛 MuseumKenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry1.5M visitors a year
8in town📍 LandmarkBuckingham FountainPhoto credits
Art Institute of Chicago: Diego Delso, CC BY-SA 3.0 · Barack Obama Presidential Center: AlphaBeta135, CC0 · Field Museum of Natural History: Sea Cow, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Hull House: User talk:Hied5, Public domain · Millennium Park: Alhill42, CC BY-SA 4.0 · Chicago Water Tower: Zol87 from Chicago, IL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 · Kenneth C. Griffin Museum of Science and Industry: zooey from Chicago, Illinois USA, CC BY 2.0 · Buckingham Fountain: not specified, Public domain
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Visiting Fort Dearborn
Is Fort Dearborn in Chicago?
Yes. It’s inside Chicago, IL.
When is the best time to visit Fort Dearborn?
May, June, July, August, September and October, with highs of 63–84°.
What is the closest airport to Fort Dearborn?
Chicago Midway (MDW), about 10 miles away.
Where should I stay near Fort Dearborn?
Chicago (in town, 151,046 hotel and restaurant jobs), Cicero (8 mi, 1,308 hotel and restaurant jobs) and Oak Park (9 mi, 3,273 hotel and restaurant jobs).
Tips from people in Chicago
No tips yet. Ask, or answer, in Chicago’s Town Square.
Sources: National Park Service · ski areas © OpenSkiMap / OpenStreetMap contributors · Wikidata · Wikipedia readership · photos via Wikimedia Commons · NOAA climate normals · U.S. Census.