Fort Laramie NHS -- nr Laramie WY - Wagon Roads and Trails on Waymarking.com

Fort Laramie was not only an important link in the chain of frontier forts, it was also a protector and stopping place for each of the three great emigrant trails of the Manifest Destiny era, the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail. Fort Laramie was a major station on the Pony Express Trail, the Deadwood Stage, the Cheyenne Stage, and the Bozeman Trail.

From the National Register Nomination form: (visit link)

"The historical significance of Fort Laramie National Historic Site is manifest, as it played a prime role in the long epic of the frontier and is a tangible reminder of that heroic past. Fort Laramie is significant in terms of the role it played in the Northern Rockies' fur trade.

It was an oasis for the westward bound immigrants the only outpost of civilization for the 800-mile span between Fort Kearney, Nebraska, and Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Historic trails and routes that passed through Fort Laramie, in addition to the Oregon and California Trails, were the Mormon Trail, Bozeman Trail, Pony Express Route, Transcontinental Telegraph Route, and the Deadwood and Cheyenne Stage.

Fort Laramie served as headquarters for military campaigns on the northern plains. Great Indian Councils that attempted to bring peace to the land occurred here. The fort witnessed the development of the open range cattle industry, the coming of homesteaders, and the settlement of the plains that marked the closing of the frontier. Today its physical remains and its history enable visitors to understand that short, swift-moving era in which the frontier swept to the Pacific Ocean, turned back to include the high plains and the mountain ranges, and forged a nation across the continent. This site focuses in one small spot the triumph and the tragedy, the virtues and the violence, and the dream and the reality of Manifest Destiny."

Road of Trail Name: Oregon Trail, Mormon Trail, California Trail, Deadwood Stage, Cheyenne Stage, Pony Express Trail State: WY County: Goshen Historical Significance: Fort Laramie was not only an important link in the chain of frontier forts, it was also a protector and stopping place for each of the three great emigrant trails of the Manifest Destiny era, as well as several stagecoach and mail routes. Years in use: 1846-1869 How you discovered it: Learned about them in US History classes Book on Wagon Road or Trial: Fort Laramie and the U.S. Army on the High Plains 1849-1890, by Douglas C. McChristian Website Explination: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Laramie_National_Historic_Site Why?: Oregon Trail -- emigration to Oregon for new lives Mormon Trail -- emigration to the basin of the Salt Lake for religious freedom California Trail -- Chasing gold rush dreams Pony Express Trail -- deliver mail between St Joseph MO and Sacramento CA Deadwood and Cheyenne Stages -- Transportation of goods and passengers Directions: end of Goshen Co Rd south of Laramie WY at the Fort Laramie National Historic Site

Visit Instructions:
To post a log for this Waymark the poster must have a picture of either themselves, GPSr, or mascot. People in the picture with information about the waymark are preferred. If the waymarker can not be in the picture a picture of their GPSr or mascot will qualify. There are no exceptions to this rule.

Recent Visits/Logs:

Date Logged Log User Rating   06/13/2014 hummerstation visited it 08/07/2013 Benchmark Blasterz visited it

View all visits/logs