A statue of Abraham Lincoln as a young soldier sits on the site of Fort Dixon. The statue of the sword carrying Lincoln is a constant reminder to the time the future President of the United States served his only tour of military duty while a volunteer soldier along the banks of the beautiful Rock River.

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Shortly before the outbreak of the Black Hawk War in 1832, Dixon's Ferry was a quiet and at times lonely outpost. But it was the hostilities and confrontations with the white settlers from Black Hawk and his followers that would turn Dixon's Ferry into a major military encampment.

While the name was never officially changed, Dixon's Ferry would come to be known as “ Fort Dixon .” It would be established as the central command post during the early stages of the Black Hawk War. Because of its location relative to Fort Dearborn (Chicago), Fort Armstrong (Rock Island) and Fort Clark (Peoria) it was to be the gathering place for the state militia and the regular army during the campaign.

With men and equipment being rapidly deployed into this area to suppress the Indian uprising, a fort was quickly constructed on the North side of the Rock River and slightly upstream from where “Father” John Dixon’s home was located and consisted of two blockhouses.

While no picture of Fort Dixon has ever been found from the time period, Noah Brooks, a friend of Abraham Lincoln who lived and worked in Dixon had painted a picture of it. To date this is the only type of picture depicting the old fort.