Blue sky green grass view white canopy Prairie Schooner wagon standing to the side cavalry barracks, Fort Laramie, Wyoming, USA
Fort Laramie, at the confluence of Laramie and North Platte Rivers, was a military post on the Oregon, California and Mormon Trails from 1849 -1890. The first two forts built at the site were privately owned. Fort William, built in 1834 by Robert Campbell and William Sublette, had a 15ft logs palisade surrounding a rectangle 100x80ft. There were log blockhouses at diagonal corners. A cannon occupied a third blockhouse over the front gate. Campbell and Sublette traded with Native Indians for buffalo hides, which were shipped east in the autumn. The 2nd Fort Laramie, called Fort John, was built in 1841 by Pierre Chouteau & Co, the then owners of Fort William. Built at a cost of $10,000, the new fort had 15ft adobe walls (enclosing an area 121x167ft), bastion towers at opposite corners and large double main doors. In 1841 the first of many west-bound wagon-trains arrived and the traders at Fort John did a brisk seasonal business catering for the needs of the emigrants. In 1849 the US Army bought Fort John for $4000, demolishing it in 1862. The 3rd and present Fort Laramie continued to serve west-bound wagon trains. It was the last outpost of civilisation before the rise into the High Plains to the west. From 1860-61 the fort was a major post on the Pony Express Route between , Missouri, and Sacramento, California. From 1861-69 it was a major station on the first high speed transcontinental telegraph line. In 1868 the Treaty of Laramie created the Great Sioux Reservation, including the Black Hills after the Indian Victory in the Red Cloud's War 1866-68. During the Great Sioux War 1876-77 Fort Laramie was again a major staging point for supplies and troops. After abandonment in 1890, its buildings went into decay, before restoration by the National Park Service in the 1950s and 60s. The Cavalry Barracks, seen here, dates to 1875 and served as the quarters for two 60-man units of troops.
Size: 4592px × 3056px
Location: Cavalry Barracks, Fort Laramie Historic Site, Wyoming, United States
Photo credit: © robert harrison / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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