Beginning in 1834, this site hosted Fort William followed by Fort John. Both served as trading posts. Fort John was renamed Fort Laramie in 1849 when the US Army purchased the property as part of a plan to establish a military presence along the emigrant trails.
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| Commissary Storehouse (1884) (serves as the visitor center) |
The fort was quickly expanded and became the principal military post on the Northern Plains. With stage lines, the Pony Express, and the transcontinental telegraph all passing through, it was also the transportation and communication hub for the central Rocky Mountain region.
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| Enlisted Barracks (1874) |
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| Soldiers Slept Upstairs |
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| Downstairs Mess Room Next to the Kitchen |
Fort Laramie hosted treaty negotiations between the U.S. Government and Tribal Nations of the Northern Plains.
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| Parade Grounds |
With the ever-growing influx of settlers, prospectors, and other people from the east, the Northern Plains Tribes defended their homelands from this encroachment. Relations deteriorated and violence increased.
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| Captain's Quarters (1870) (originally planned for the commanding officer; turned into a duplex) |
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| Dining Room |
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| Bedroom |
From Fort Laramie, the army launched major campaigns against the Tribes. At the conclusion of the Indian Wars, the remainder of the tribes were relegated to reservations.
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| Officers' Quarters Ruins (1881) (they were created by adding to smaller 1855 buildings) |
The fort's importance diminished and in 1890 the U.S. Army closed the post and sold it at public auction.
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| Old Bedlam (1849) (oldest documented building in Wyoming) |
President Franklin Roosevelt proclaimed Fort Larmie a national monument in 1938. It was designated a national historic site in 1960.
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| foreground - Enlisted Barracks Foundation (1867) background - New Guardhouse (1876) |
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| foreground - Enlisted Barracks Foundation (1867) (background - L to R) Surgeon's Quarters (1875), Lt Colonel's Quarters (1884), Trader's Store (1849) |
The included photos show just a sample of the numerous buildings and ruins that can still be seen at the site of Fort Laramie.
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