Soldiers
In 1834 Robert Campbell and William
Sublette built the first “Fort Laramie”
near the confluence of the Laramie and
North Platte rivers. Officially named Fort
William, the small post measured 100 by
80 feet. Hewn cottonwood logs 15 feet
high formed its palisade. It enjoyed a
near monopoly on the buffalo trade here
until 1841 when a competing trading
post, Fort Platte, was built a mile away.
The rivalry led Fort William’s owners to
replace their own aging fort with a larger,
adobe-walled structure named Fort John.
Trappers lived hard lives,
spending months wading in
cold mountain streams trap-
ping beaver and other fur-
bearing mammals. Begin-
ning in 1825 and continuing
for 16 years, trappers met at
an annual “rendezvous” to
exchange their year’s catch
of furs for supplies and
trade goods and celebrate a
successful trapping season.
The heyday of the beaver
trade, driven largely by
fashions in Europe, would
last less than 30 years, and
Trappers and Traders
Northern Plains Indians
Overland emigration peaked
in the early 1850s at 50,000
annual travelers. The weary
emigrants and gold-seekers
eagerly awaited Fort Lara-
mie, because it was one of
their long journey’s few
supply points.
Set on the approaches to the
Rocky Mountains, this was a
natural stop. It was about a
Combat was rare in the
frontier army. Instead the
enlisted men’s days were a
rigid routine of drill and
“fatigue duties.” Discipline
was harsh and minor infrac-
tions could mean severe
penalties.
Garrison life quickly made
five-year enlistments seem
endless. The frontier army’s
desertion rate was 33 per-
cent from 1865 to 1890—
although Ordnance Sgt.
Leodegar Schnyder served
37 years here.
Most soldiers stationed at
Fort Laramie served in the
infantry, like the men of
Emigrants
In 1851, Congress sought to
keep the peace by authoriz-
ing a treaty council. Over
10,000 Northern Plains
tribes from many nations
gathered near the fort.
They pledged not to harass
emigrants in return for
$50,000 in annuity goods,
but just two years later, inci-
dents near the fort resulted
in deaths on both sides.
Periods of warfare contin-
ued to alternate with
peaceful interludes. Indian
resentment intensified in
the 1860s as thousands of
miners headed north on the
Bozeman Trail to gold and
silver finds in Montana. To
protect the miners the army
built three forts along the
trail, which led to Red
Cloud’s War of 1866–68.
In a new treaty signed here
in 1868, the United States
agreed to Red Cloud’s de-
mand to abandon the forts
on the Bozeman Trail, and
set up the Great Sioux Res-
ervation in western South
Dakota. Gold finds in the
Black Hills led to the break-
ing of that treaty by 1874.
the 7th US
Infantry shown
below. The big
summer campaigns of
the 1860s and 70s used
mostly foot soldiers, with
smaller cavalry detachments.
Short patrols were most com-
mon. On one, Lt. John L. Grat-
tan and 29 soldiers went to a
Lakota village nine miles east
of Fort Laramie to arrest an
Indian accused of killing an
emigrant’s cow. Grattan un-
wisely forced a battle, and the
entire command was lost. The
August 1854 “Grattan Fight”
marked an ominous turning
point in relations between
Indians and emigrants.
Indian tribes, especially the Lakota (Sioux),
traded tanned buffalo robes here for manu-
factured goods. Each spring caravans arrived
at the fort, laden with trade goods. In fall
tons of buffalo hides and other furs were
shipped east. Throughout the 1840s, howev-
er, as the take of buffalo robes declined, Fort
John’s role changed. In 1841 the first of many
westward-bound emigrants arrived. Over the
next two decades tens of thousands stopped
at the fort en route to Oregon, California, and
the Salt Lake Valley. Traders at Fort John did a
brisk but seasonal business catering to the
emigrants’ needs.
In 1849 the US Army bought Fort John as
part of a plan to establish a military presence
along the emigrant trails. Officially renamed
Fort Laramie, it served as a military post for
the next four decades. Soon after arrival, the
army constructed new officers’ and soldiers’
quarters, stables, and a bakery, guardhouse,
and powder magazine to house and support
the garrison.
As its size and importance grew, Fort Laramie
quickly became the principal military outpost
on the Northern Plains. The fort was also the
transportation and communication hub for
the central Rocky Mountain region. Not only
emigrant trails but stage lines, the Pony Ex-
press, and the transcontinental telegraph all
passed through the post.
Fort Laramie hosted several treaty negotia-
tions with Northern Plains Indian Nations.
Most famous among these treaties were the
Horse Creek Treaty of 1851 and the Treaty of
1868 (see below), which remains controversial
and contested to this day.
Relations between Indian tribes and the army
deteriorated as the number of emigrants on
the overland trails swelled. As conflicts grew,
the army launched major campaigns from Fort
Laramie against the Northern Plains tribes,
who fiercely defended their homeland
against further encroachment by a nation
moving west. With the end of the Indian
Wars, Fort Laramie’s importance diminished.
In 1890 the US Army abandoned the post and
sold it at public auction.
As the 1800s began,
the Lakota, Cheyenne,
and Arapahoe tribes
dominated the Fort Lara-
mie region. Through the
1830s and 40s relations
between tribes and trad-
ers were for the most
part friendly. By the
1850s, after Fort Laramie
had become a military
post and emigrant traffic
on the overland trails had
third of the way between
their Missouri River “jump-
ing-off places” and their
destinations in Oregon or
California, or halfway for
those bound to Utah.
Fort Laramie’s emigrant
season lasted only about 45
days each year, in the late
spring and early summer.
These were days of intense
activity. After weeks on
the trail, the emigrants
bathed and washed
clothes in the clear waters
of the Laramie River. They
rested, bought fresh sup-
plies, replaced worn-out
draft animals, and made
repairs to their wagons
before setting out on the
rest of their journey.
by the late 1830s buffalo
robes had replaced beaver
pelts as the sought-after fur.
Traders supplanted trappers
and fixed trading posts like
Forts William and John end-
ed the rendezvous system.
Indians camped near the
fort and traded buffalo
robes for a variety of goods
including blankets, tobacco,
powder, lead, sugar, and
beads.
7th US Infantry soldiers, 1887.
1 Carbine and carbine sling
2 Saber
3 .45 Colt revolver and
cartridge belt
4 Shelter half
5 Knife and sheath
6 Overcoat
7 Picket pin and lariat
8 Side line
9 Feedbag
10 Canteen
11 Haversack
12 Tin cup
13 Saddle bags
14 Poncho
15 Forage sack
Soldier’s Field Gear
NPS / JIM MILMOE
Alfred Jacob Miller painted
the region’s hunters and
trappers.
DRAWINGS NPS / RICHARD SCHLECHT
AMON CARTER MUSEUM
Buffalo Hunt by Alfred Jacob Miller.
NEWBERRY LIBRARY AP2800
mushroomed, tensions
escalated. Still, the tribes
rarely attacked wagon
trains.
Lakota Chief Red Cloud
AUTRY NATIONAL CENTER 88.108.17
Encampment on the Plains (detail), by Thomas Worthington Whittredge.
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1868 treaty council near Fort Laramie.
FORT LARAMIE NHS, HARTSHORN COLLECTION
Fort Laramie
National Park Service
U.S. Department of the Interior
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Wyoming
BUFFALO BILL HISTORICAL CENTER
GIFT OF THE COE FOUNDATION 36.64
SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION
NATIONAL ANTHROPOLOGICAL ARCHIVES
✩GPO:20xx—xxx-xxx/xxxxx Reprint 20xx
Printed on recycled paper.
Touring Fort Laramie
Fort Laramie’s riverside setting
on the approaches to the Rocky
Mountains looks much like it
did when the post was active.
Buildings from its military period,
some dating to 1849, survived
intact because homesteaders
bought and lived in them and
public agencies later worked to
preserve them.
Eleven structures are now restored
and refurnished to their historic
appearances.
The national historic site is three
miles southwest of the town of
Fort Laramie, WY, off US 26. There
are no camping facilities. Nearby
towns offer RV parks, motels, and
restaurants.
Accessibility: We strive to make
our facilities, services, and pro-
grams accessible to all. Call or
check our website.
1
Commissary Storehouse (1884) This
lime-concrete building served as a food
warehouse for the army. It now houses park
offices and the visitor center.
2
Old Bakery (1876, left) and New Bakery
Ruins (1883) Bread was a staple of the
soldier’s diet. Here, in big double-brick
ovens, bakers made up to 700 18-ounce
loaves daily.
3
Infantry Barracks Foundation (1867)
This one-story frame building housed three
companies, with mess halls and kitchens for
each in the back.
4
New Guardhouse (1876) After many
complaints by the post surgeon this new
guardhouse replaced an unhealthy, over-
crowded older one. It held both major and
minor offenders.
5
General Sink (Latrine) Ruins (1886) To
protect the post’s drinking water supply,
a privy or general sink was built for four
companies, with sewage channeled to the
Laramie River.
6
Two-Company Infantry Barracks Foun-
dation (1866) Ruins are all that are left of
this big adobe barracks building.
7
Old Guardhouse (1866) Fort Laramie’s
second guardhouse, built to house 40 pris-
able business with soldiers, Indians, gold
seekers, and emigrants. The north section,
built of stone in 1852, was the sutler’s
headquarters and, for a time, post office.
An 1883 addition housed the officers’ club
and an enlisted men and civilians’ bar. The
store is restored to its 1860s appearance.
18
Post Trader’s (Sutler) House
Foundation (1863) Owned by the post
trader/sutler at Fort Laramie, this house
was among the more ornate at the post.
19
Cavalry Barracks (1874) Fort Laramie’s
largest building was built to add housing
during the Indian Wars. Soldiers slept in
two large squad bays upstairs. The kitchen
and mess room were downstairs.
20
Hospital Ruins (1873) The 12-bed facil-
ity had a dispensary, kitchen, dining room,
isolation rooms, and surgeon’s office. This
was the first lime-concrete building at Fort
Laramie.
Fort Laramie Today Touring the Fort
oners, often held more. The upper story
had quarters for the guard and the Officer
of the Guard. The first floor had the gener-
al confinement area and two small soli-
tary-confinement cells. Prisoners had no
furniture, heat, or light.
8
Administration Building Ruins (1885)
Headquarters and the post school were
moved here in 1885. Concerts, religious
services, dances, plays, and lectures were
held here in the post theater.
9
Captain’s Quarters (1870) Planned as the
Commanding Officer’s quarters, this build-
ing became a duplex for company-grade
officers.
10
Fort John Site (1841–62) The American
Fur Co. built Fort John here of adobe brick
reinforced with wooden beams. It had 15-
foot walls and blockhouses on two corners.
Abandoned and in ruins by 1858, it was
demolished in 1862.
11
Officers’ Quarters Ruins (1881) These
large buildings, two duplexes and the Com-
manding Officer’s quarters, were additions
to smaller 1855 adobe buildings.
12
“Old Bedlam” (1849) Built to house
bachelor officers, “Old Bedlam” is Wyo-
ming’s oldest documented building. The
right side is restored to bachelor officers’
quarters in the 1850s; the left side to post
headquarters in 1863–64, when fort com-
mander Lt. Col. William O. Collins and his
wife lived on the second floor.
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Officers’ Quarters Ruins (1882) The first
building south of the Surgeon’s Quarters
on “Officers’ Row,” a mix of frame, adobe,
concrete, and stone, was built from an
existing powder magazine.
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Magazine (1850) The stone magazine,
restored to 1850–62, held post weapons
and ammunition, except large field pieces.
15
Post Surgeon’s Quarters (1875) Post
Surgeon Louis Brechemin and his family
normally lived in half of this duplex from
1885 to 1889. His study held his scientific
collections, and most patients were treated
there before being sent to the hospital to
recuperate.
16
Lt. Colonel’s Quarters (Burt House,
1884) Lt. Col. Andrew Burt, a 7th US
Infantry officer, and his wife Elizabeth lived
in the home 1887–88. They liked relatively
plain furnishings rather than the ornate
decor used in most officers’ houses during
the Victorian period.
17
Post Trader’s Store (1849) and Complex
Built and run by a civilian licensed by the
army, the post trader’s store did a profit-
The visitor center in the old Commissary
Storehouse (tour stop 1) is open 8 am
to 4:30 pm daily except Thanksgiving,
De cem ber 25, and January 1, with longer
hours from early June to Labor Day. (The
parking lot and walkway do not appear
on this historical illustration.) The visitor
center offers historical information and lit-
erature, or visit our park website (below).
Safety and Management Concerns
Don’t let an accident spoil your visit. Be
careful on footpaths and stairs and stay
alert to hazards. Your safety is your re-
sponsibility. Historic ruins are fragile. You
can help us preserve them by not walking
or climbing on them. Possession, removal,
or disturbance of any artifact is prohibit-
ed. For firearms regulations check the
park website or ask a ranger.
More Information
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
956 Gray Rocks Road
Fort Laramie, WY 82212
307-837-2221
www.nps.gov/fola
Fort Laramie is one of over 390 parks in
the National Park System. To learn more
about national parks and National Park
Service programs in America’s communi-
ties, please visit www.nps.gov.
NPS / RICHARD SCHLECHT
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In 1888 Fort Laramie looked
almost like a frontier town
(illustration). But for many
years its unadorned military
buildings occupied a stark
and treeless setting. Like most
frontier posts, it had no pali-
sades or walls. Early plans for
a log or stone wall with block-
houses were never funded.
Restored structure
Ruins or foundation
Visitor Center
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