Fort Laramie National Historic Site
A fur trading post called Fort William set up in eastern Wyoming in 1834 was rebuilt in 1841 as Fort John and in 1849 the US Army took it over to protect settlers travelling along the Oregon Trail and renamed it Fort Laramie. The Oregon Trail was one of the major routes for settlers moving west. It ran from Missouri through Kansas, Nebraska, Wyoming and Idaho on its way to the west coast. Fort Laramie became an essential stop for the settlers, one of the few places where they could restock, get medical help, repair their wagons and send letters to those that they had left back east. The Fort was abandoned in 1890 and over the years several buildings were demolished for building materials. In 1937 it became a National Monument preserved by the National Parks Service.
Post Traders Store
The Post Trader was a civilian who was given a licence by the army to operate a trading post at the fort. The store served the needs of soldiers and military families based at the fort. It could also be used by settlers as a resupply base, but most found that they had overloaded their wagons and they needed to jettison supplies rather than buy more. This was perhaps fortunate because even though the Army had some control over the prices charged in the store, the prices were very, very high.
Lieutenant Colonel's Quarters and Post Surgeon's Quarters
Taken from the rear of the buildings, this picture shows the Lieutenant Colonel's Quarters on the left and the Post Surgeon’s Quarters in the middle. To the right is the rear of Old Bedlam. The prime role of the Post Surgeon was to look after the medical needs of the officers and men posted at the fort, but he also looked after civilians who were at the fort.
Old Bedlem across Parade Ground
The first question for visitors who have only seen western forts in the movies is “where is the stockade?” Fort Laramie was a large sprawling place and building a wall around it did not make economic sense. The size of the garrison ensured that the fort was unlikely to be attacked. The building shown here on the right across the parade ground is known as Old Bedlam. Originally designed as quarters for bachelor officers, it later became the post headquarters. Both eras have been reflected in the restoration of the building, with one side restored to show what it was like in its early days as bachelor officer quarters and the other restored to show how it looked as post headquarters.
Settlers Wagon, New Guard House
This is how the settlers travelled the Oregon Trail. The wagon may seem very sturdy but the trail was extremely rough and many wagons failed. Hollywood myth suggests that the main hazard faced by the settlers was hostile Indians, but reality was very different. The biggest killers were cholera, wagon accidents and river crossings.
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© Mike Elsden 1981 - 2025
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