Fort Fizzle, Military barricade site in Lolo, Montana, United States

Fort Fizzle is a fortified site along Lolo Creek where wooden structures and interpretive markers document the military defenses once built here. The grounds show how the barricade was positioned and what soldiers were trying to accomplish with this construction.

The site was established in 1877 when an army officer built fortifications to stop a traveling group of people from passing through. The situation did not unfold as planned when the group found an alternative route and bypassed the defenses entirely.

The name "Fizzle" was given by locals after the July 28, 1877 escape, and Montana journalists and the governor later praised the Nez Perce for their "bravery" and "audacity." A volunteer defended the settlers' retreat by saying they were "not silly enough to uselessly incite the Indians to devastate our valley." The Nez Perce then bought fresh horses, food and supplies from Bitterroot ranchers and farmers as they passed south.

A reconstructed portion of the barricade stands at the Fort Fizzle Historic Site beside U.S. Route 12, a few miles west of Lolo, at about 3,350 feet (1,020 m) elevation. The site parallels the old Lolo trail used by the Nez Perce, Bitterroot Salish and Ktunaxa peoples and by Lewis and Clark, whose westbound party came up Lolo Creek in mid-September 1805 and returned in late June 1806.

The grounds got their name after the group simply walked around the wooden fortifications by climbing steep ridges. This surprising outcome shows how carefully planned military defenses can be overcome through unexpected solutions.