Qualla: Fort Laramie National Historic Site

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: Introduction

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jibi44, CC BY-SA 4.0. Jacques La Ramee trapped beaver along this river in 1815 or 1816. He went out alone in 1819 or 1820 and was never seen again. The Arapaho were accused of killing him and burying his body in a beaver dam. The river took his name, then the mountains, then the fort, then two Wyoming towns. Everything here carries the name of a man who vanished, which seems fitting for a place where so many passed through on their way to somewhere else. Fort Laramie was never the destination. It was the last reliable stop before the hard part began.

Image: Jibi44 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: The Fur Trade Crossroads

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit William Henry Jackson, Public domain. William Sublette and Robert Campbell built Fort William here in 1834, where the Laramie River meets the North Platte. The location was no accident: two rivers meant water on two sides, forming a natural partial moat, and the nearby ford allowed easy crossing for travelers followi...

Image: William Henry Jackson | Public domain

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: Gateway to the West

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Jibi44, CC BY-SA 4.0. The U.S. Army purchased Fort Laramie in June 1849 for $4,000, just as the California Gold Rush transformed the Oregon Trail into a highway. The Mormon Trail ran along the north bank of the Platte and North Platte, merging with the other emigrant trails at the fort. Every route we...

Image: Jibi44 | CC BY-SA 4.0

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: Adobe, Concrete, and Old Bedlam

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Mike Tigas from Columbia, MO, United States, CC BY 2.0. The Army faced practical problems building on the High Plains: few laborers, brutal winters, limited wood and stone. Adobe bricks solved some of these challenges, providing insulation against the cold. Old Bedlam, constructed in 1849, is the oldest known U.S. military structure i...

Image: Mike Tigas from Columbia, MO, United States | CC BY 2.0

Fort Laramie National Historic Site: The Last Soldiers Leave

Tue, 27 Jan 2026 00:00:00 GMT

Photo credit Chris Light (talk), CC BY-SA 3.0. In March 1890, about 30 cavalry soldiers and civilian mechanics arrived to strip the fort. They removed doors, windows, flooring, and anything the government deemed valuable. The last soldiers left Fort Laramie on April 20, 1890. All but one structure was sold at auction. The ent...

Image: Chris Light (talk) | CC BY-SA 3.0