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| Landmark #GO0026.10 | Goshen County | Visited: June 10, 2017 | Plaque? YES! 🙂 |
| What is it? | Fort Laramie National Historic Site! |
| What makes it historical? | THE SIGN SAYS: The epic story of America’s western expansion played out on a grand scale at Fort Laramie, where the North Platte and Laramie rivers meet. Fort Laramie was first established in 1834 as a private fur trading post. By the 1840’s, it served as an important way station for thousands of emigrants traveling the Oregon, California, and Mormon Pioneer trails.
After purchase by the government in 1849, it rapidly became the primary military post on the Northern Plains, Stage lines, the Pony Express, and the telegraph all passed through the post. Fort Laramie hosted several treaty negotiations with Northern Plains tribes, including the still controversial and contested Treaty of 1868. From the fort, the U.S. military launched major campaigns against the tribes, who fiercely defended their homeland. As the Indian Wars came to a close, Fort Laramie’s importance diminished. The post was abandoned and sold at public auction in 1890. The State of Wyoming purchased the property in 1937 and preservation of the site was secured in 1938 when the State donated Fort Laramie to the National Park Service. OTHER TIDBITS: The Treaty of 1868 sought to end conflicts between white settlers and the Sioux by setting aside South Dakota’s Black Hills as a reservation for them. The treaty only lasted George Custer led a band of gold seekers into the Black Hills, found gold, and launched a gold rush that trampled all over the hills and the treaty! The US government confiscated the land in 1877, and it has been a source of contention ever since! |
| How can I Help the Helpers? | HERE’S HOW:
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| How do I find it? | Listed Directions: 965 Grey Rocks Road Fort Laramie, WY 82212 Annotations: From Casper: ~126mi (203km) — 2.1hrs |
| When should I go? | Fort Laramie is open daily from 9:00 AM until 7:00 PM! |
