Old Fort Laramie -- Fort Laramie WY - American Guide Series on Waymarking.com

The waymark coordinates are located at the entrance to the Fort Laramie National Historic Site.

The three great emigrant trails of the 1850s-60s all passed through Fort Laramie WY, as did the Pony Express and several stagecoach routes.

Fort Laramie was not only an important link in the chain of frontier forts, it was also a protector and stopping place for each of the three great emigrant trails of the Manifest Destiny era, the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail. Fort Laramie was a major station on the Pony Express Trail, the Deadwood Stage, the Cheyenne Stage, and the Bozeman Trail.

It is therefore no wonder that the WPA writers spent five pages describing the fort and its history in the Guide to the Oregon Trail:

"Nebraska-Wyoming, Alternate Route
. . .

[page 170] OLD FORT LARAMIE, 2 m., on 180 acres, has been acquired by the State of Wyoming and is to be made a National Monument. A number of early buildings remain, including the blacksmith shop and supply house, the commissary, and soldiers and officers quarters.

This place, on the North Platte near the mouth of the Laramie River, was one of the most important points on the road to Oregon and California. The first buildings were erected about a mile upstream. It was settled in 1834 as a fur-trading post, Fort William, by Robert Campbell and William Sublette and named for the latter. A year later the post passed into the hands of Fitzpatrick, Sublette, and Bridger and shortly afterward became a post of the American Fur Company, tinder which it was called Fort John. By 1839 the settlement had grown and was surrounded by a rectangular stockade 15 feet high, with lookout towers on two opposite corners. About 1846 the American Fur Company built a new post a mile upstream and called it Fort Laramie, which almost from the beginning had been the popular name of the place. The old post was demolished soon afterward. Three years later the American Fur Company sold its property here to the U. S. Government and Fort Laramie became a military post.

From 1834 until 1862, when part of the westbound traffic began to move farther south, the post was the real jumping-off-place for almost everyone on his way to the mountains, to the Columbia, and to Utah and California. Until after the Mormons reached Utah this was the last point short of the Hudson's Bay territory where it was always possible to buy supplies. (Though Jim Bridger established a post in the Green River Valley about 1843, he was often away from home when travelers most wanted his aid.) At Fort Laramie travelers could always find traders and Indians with the latest news on conditions of the route and the attitude of the Indians. After the Federal Government set up a military establishment here during the gold rush, the fort was the scene of even greater activity. The commandant, in addition to keeping an eye on the Indians, had to act as nursemaid for reckless and improvident pioneers. Some arrived at this point, which was less than half way along the trail, without supplies or the possibility of buying [page 171] them. Others lacked most of the equipment necessary for the difficult travel westward.

In 1851 the stage line operated by John Hockaday and William Liggett began to carry mail, express, and sometimes passengers to western posts. Horses were changed here. After the overland line was put in operation Fort Laramie was a regular stage station. In 1860 and 1861 one of the most exciting regular events was the arrival and departure of the Pony Express riders; this was one of the relay points where riders would wait with saddled horses for the transfer of the mail from the East and the West.

From the beginning the post was a rendezvous for Indians as well as whites; they came here to steal when they dared, to beg, to trade, to watch the white men, to parley, and to share the local excitement. Indian children and dogs played about the stockades and squaws stood about wide-eyed and watchful. Sometimes there would be more than a hundred lodges on the nearby land. Gamblers, traders, hunters, prospectors, and journalists were always about after the great migration had begun.

Hunting parties of pleasure seekers also outfitted here. The most spectacular expedition of this sort to leave the post was that of Sir George Gore, who traveled in truly imposing state with Jim Bridger as his guide.

A number of important treaties with the Indians were signed at or near Fort Laramie. Not all were successful. The treaty of 1851 was considered the eventual source of the hostilities that terrorized the northern plains for a score of years (see SIDE ROUTE C).

When the Indians were making their last attempt to drive away the invaders, they drove off stock, pillaged emigrant wagons, and killed ranchmen and traders, keeping those at Fort Laramie constantly on the alert for attack. Although the years 1862-65 were the "bloody years" on the Great Plains, the years of greatest danger here were between 1867-77. In 1867 Congress created a peace commission with a view to obtaining safety for travelers along the trans-continental railways and the overland routes. In 1868 this commission succeeded in negotiating the Sioux Treaty, by which the country north of the North Platte River and east of the summit of the Big Horn Mountains was recognized as belonging solely to the Indians. This treaty was later broken by white men who pushed into the Indian country in their eagerness to reach the Black Hills gold fields.

On June 2, 1847, Appleton Harmon, the Pioneer Saint, here wrote in his diary: "we went in to the Fort & was kindly & genteelly receivd by Mister Bordeaux the maniger or master of the Fort he invited us in to a room upstairs which look verry mutch like a bar room of an eastern hotel it was ornamented with several drawings Portraits &c a long desk a settee & some chairs constituted the principle furniture of the room it wass neat & comfortable Mr Bordeaux, answered the meney questions that was asked by us a bout the country the Natives &c he sed the seasons ware ginerally dry that thare had been no rain for 2 years until within a few days he said that the Soux would not disturb the emegrants but the crows ware verry annoysome that they came & robed them of 25 horses about 10 days ago they crept along under the bank of Larrieme fork until within 80 rods of the fort in the day time then rushed out between the fort & the horses & drove them of in Spite of the guards, (for there ware 2 a herdding them at the time) and had themsafe before one forse could reach the spot from the fort, The remainder of their horses ware guarded by 4 men all the time and put in the Fort at night, they had just sent off 600 packs of robes to fort Pierce on the missouri river the distance nearly 300 miles, they said that some traders ware thare yesturday that said that 6 days drive ahead that the Snow was midled deep 10 days ago & that it would be dificult to find feed for our teams he said that thare ware buffalo 2 days drive ahead & some grisseley Bairs that he expected some Oregon emegrants soon he said that the next fort of trading post we came to was fort Bridgeer the other side of the mountains."

Emigrants were less of a novelty here and troops were in command in 1853 [page 172] when James Farmer, another Mormon emigrant, arrived, "we then entered Fort Laramie consisting ofa few wooden houses and about 67 soldiers stationed here it lies in the hollow high Bluffs all around they have 6 pieces of cannon and all seem very happy there are stores here where we can purchase anything we need but very high flour 15 dollars a sack."

Book: Oregon Trail Page Number(s) of Excerpt: 170-174 Year Originally Published: 1939

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