Ft. Buford was built on the east (or north) side of the Missouri River near the confluence with the Yellowstone River. Like most other posts it depended on the river for its water source. Officers' quarters included rooms for officers' families. The enlisted men lived in barracks. Laundresses' quarters were closer to the river. Laundresses worked for both officers and enlisted men. The post had all the necessities of a small village including the first Mason's Hall (a private men's organization) in northern Dakota Territory. This plan shows the layout of buildings on the Fort Buford military reservation in 1874. The buildings are new and the stockade is gone. Officers' quarters and the soldiers' barracks surround the parade ground. The library and school are on the northern edge of the parade ground. Laundresses lived south of the main compound in a separate area.
