View source for Fort Bridger

{{For|the census-designated place|Fort Bridger, Wyoming}}
{{Use American English|date=July 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=March 2025}}
{{Infobox NRHP
| name = Fort Bridger
| nrhp_type = 
| image=Fortbridger.JPG
| caption=Fort Bridger
| location = [[Uinta County, Wyoming]]
| nearest_city = [[Fort Bridger, Wyoming]]
| coordinates = {{coord|41|19|4|N|110|23|31|W|display=inline,title}}
| locmapin = Wyoming#USA
| label_position = 
| map_label = Fort Bridger
| map_caption = Site of fort in Wyoming
| area =
| built =
| architect =
| architecture = 
| added = 1969-04-16
| visitation_num = 
| visitation_year = 
| refnum = 69000197
| mpsub = 
| governing_body = 
}}

'''Fort Bridger''' was originally a 19th-century [[North American fur trade|fur trading]] outpost established in 1842, on [[Blacks Fork]] of the [[Green River (Colorado River)|Green River]], in what is now [[Uinta County, Wyoming]], United States and was then part of Mexico. It became a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the [[Oregon Trail|Oregon]], [[California Trail|California]], and [[Mormon Trail]]s. The [[US Army]] established a military post here in 1858 during the [[Utah War]], until it was finally closed in 1890. A small town, [[Fort Bridger, Wyoming]], remains near the fort and takes its name from it.

==Bridger's trading post==
The post was established by the [[mountain man]] [[Jim Bridger]], after whom it is named, and [[Louis Vasquez]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Alter, J. Cecil|title=Jim Bridger|location=Norman, OK|publisher=University of Oklahoma Press|date= 1962}}</ref> In December 1843, Bridger wrote to [[Pierre Chouteau Jr.]], "I have established a small fort, with a blacksmith shop and a supply of iron in the road of emigrants on Black Fork of Green River, which promises fairly." According to [[Stanley Vestal]], "His fort consisted simply of an eight-foot stockade, with a corral adjoining on the north. Within that stockade stood four log cabins with flat dirt roofs. One of these housed Bridger's forge and carpenter's bench, another his store, the third his family and possibles, while the fourth was the home of his partner." On October 19, 1852, Mrs. [[Benjamin G. Ferris]] visited with her husband, and described the fort as "- a long, low, strongly-constructed log building, surrounded by a high wall of logs, stuck endwise in the ground." On March 9, 1854, Bridger filed a claim with the [[United States General Land Office]], for the {{convert|3800|acre|hectare}} around the fort.<ref name=sv>{{cite book|last=Vestal|first=Stanley|title=Jim Bridger; Mountain Man|date=1970|publisher=University of Nebraska Press|location=Lincoln|isbn=9780803257207|pages=153, 187–190}}</ref>

[[Richard Francis Burton]] visited the fort in August 1860, and later wrote, "Colonel Bridger, when an Indian trader, placed this post upon a kind of neutral ground between the Snakes and the Crows (Hapsaroke) on the north, the Oglalas and other Sioux to the east, the Arapahoes and Cheyennes on the south, and various tribes of Yutas (Utahs) on the southwest."<ref name=rse/>{{rp|31}} Bridger, perhaps the most picturesque figure in early Wyoming, was often called the "[[Daniel Boone]]" of the Rockies. [[Bridger Pass]] was also named for him.<ref name="Godfrey, Anthony">{{cite book|author=Godfrey, Anthony|title=Pony Express National Historic Trail Historic Resource Study|publisher=National Park Service|date=August 1994|url=http://www.nps.gov/archive/poex/hrs/hrs.htm|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061007150823/http://www.nps.gov/archive/poex/hrs/hrs.htm|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 7, 2006}}</ref>

In 1845, [[Hastings Cutoff|Lansford Hastings]] published a guide entitled ''The Emigrant's Guide to Oregon and California'', which advised California emigrants to leave the [[Oregon Trail]] at Fort Bridger, pass through the [[Wasatch Range]] across the [[Great Salt Lake Desert]] (an 80-mile waterless drive), loop around the [[Ruby Mountains]], and rejoin the California Trail about seven miles west of modern [[Elko, Nevada]] (now [[Emigrant Pass (Nevada)|Emigrant Pass]]). The ill-fated [[Donner Party|Donner-Reed Party]] followed that route, along which they were met by a rider sent by Hastings to deliver letters to traveling emigrants. On July 12, the Donners and Reeds were given one of these letters,<ref>Johnson, pp. 6–7.</ref> in which among other messages, Hastings claimed to have "worked out a new and better road to California", and said he would be waiting at Fort Bridger to guide the emigrants along the new cutoff.<ref name=Andrews1973>{{cite journal|author=Andrews, Thomas F.|date=April 1973|title=Lansford W. Hastings and the Promotion of the Great Salt Lake Cutoff: A Reappraisal|journal=The Western Historical Quarterly|volume=4|number=2|pages= 133–150|doi=10.2307/967168|jstor=967168}}</ref>

==Mormons and Fort Supply==
{{Main|Fort Supply (Utah Territory)}}

On July 7, 1847, [[Orson Pratt]] was amongst the first party of Mormons to arrive at the fort. He described the fort as, "Bridger's post consists of two adjoining log houses, dirt roofs, and a small picket yard of logs set in the ground, and about eight feet high." Nine native lodges were located nearby.<ref name="rse">{{cite book|last1=Ellison|first1=R. S.|title=Fort Bridger; A Brief History|date=1981|publisher=The Wyoming State Archives, Museums and Historical Department|isbn=0943398045|page=11}}</ref>

With the arrival of the [[Mormon pioneers]] in 1847, disputes arose between Bridger and the new settlers. By 1853, a militia of Mormons was sent to arrest him for selling alcohol and firearms to the [[Native Americans in the United States|Native Americans]], a violation of Federal Law.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-fortbridger.html |title=Fort Bridger, Wyoming State Historic Site |publisher=Legendsofamerica.com |access-date=2012-08-15}}</ref> He escaped capture and temporarily returned to the East. Near the existing fort, the Mormons established their own Fort Supply the same year. In 1855, Mormons took over Fort Bridger, reportedly having bought it for $8,000 in gold coins.<ref>{{cite book|author1=[[Fred R. Gowans|Gowans, Fred R.]]|author2=[[Eugene E. Campbell|Campbell, Eugene E.]]|title=Fort Supply: Brigham Young's Green River Experiment|location=Provo, UT|publisher=Brigham Young University|date=1976}}</ref> The Mormons claimed, over Bridger's denials, they had purchased the fort from Vasquez. There was a deed dated August 3, 1855, recorded October 21, 1858, in Salt Lake City in Records Book B. p.&nbsp;128, that ostensibly sold Fort Bridger to the LDS Church. Bridger and Vasquez's names were signed by H. F. Morrell in the presence of Alinerin Grow and [[William Adams Hickman]], purportedly pursuant to a [[power of attorney]]. Bridger was absent from the area in 1855, acting as guide for Sir St George Gore.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.wyomingtalesandtrails.com/bridger.html|title=Fort Bridger Photos|publisher=Wyomingtalesandtrails.com|access-date=2012-08-15}}</ref>

[[File:Fort Bridger on the Green River.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Fort Bridger, 1850.]]

[[Andrew Jenson]] noted, "From 1853 to 1857, Fort Bridger was quite an important 'Mormon' outpost."  [[Orson Hyde]] arrived at the fort on November 13, 1853, with 39 Mormon settlers. They established Fort Supply on Willow Creek, about {{convert|12|mi|km}} southwest of Fort Bridger. Jenson goes on to state, "Fort Bridger and Fort Supply were deserted by the 'Mormons' in September, 1857, on the approach of Col. Johnston's army."<ref name=rse/>{{rp|28–29}}

==Military post==
[[File:Fort Bridger, by Samuel C. Mills, 1858.png|thumb|right|250px|Fort Bridger, 1858. By [[Samuel C. Mills]], photographer with the [[James H. Simpson|Simpson expedition]].]]

On November 18, 1857, Bridger leased his surveyed land to the United States, though payment was withheld until Bridger could establish title. Colonel [[Albert Sidney Johnston]] was to use the land for his army during the [[Utah War]]. Relations had deteriorated between Mormon leaders in [[Utah Territory]] and federal authorities in Washington, D.C. President [[James Buchanan]] ordered the  [[United States Army]] to install a new governor, [[Alfred Cumming (governor)|Alfred Cumming]] to replace [[Brigham Young]]. As the army of 2,500 advanced in November 1857, the Mormons set fire to the Fort Bridger buildings. Johnston kept his supplies, with a garrison, within the stone walls which remained, while the army wintered at Camp Scott nearby. In June 1858, as the majority of Johnston's Army set off for [[Salt Lake City]], two companies of troops remained behind. The other troops continued on and eventually established [[Camp Floyd]] south of [[Salt Lake City]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Ellison, R. S.|title=Fort Bridger: A Brief History|date=1931}}</ref><ref name=rse/>{{rp|18,21–29}}

Major [[William Hoffman (United States Army)|William Hoffman]] commanded the army depot of Fort Bridger from 7 June 1858, until 17 August, when he was relieved by Brevet Lieutenant Colonel [[Edward Canby]]. Elements of the Sixth and Tenth Infantry, and First Cavalry, erected storehouses and troop quarters. On July 14, 1859, orders established a military reservation at Fort Bridger amounting to {{convert|500|sqmi|sqkm}}. Major [[Richard C. Gatlin]] took over command on 7 March 1860. Captain [[Alfred Cumming (general)|Alfred Cumming]] took command on 4 June 1860, followed by Captain [[Franklin Gardner]] on 7 August 1860. Captain [[Jesse Gove]] commanded from 29 May 1861 until 9 August, when the number of troops was reduced due to demands of the [[American Civil War]]. Captain M. G. Lewis took over command in December 1862, followed by Major Noyes Baldwin in 1865.  Captain [[Anson Mills]] assumed command from November 1866 until August 1867.<ref name=rse/>{{rp|30–36,44}}

In 1858, William A. Carter was appointed as post [[sutler]] at Fort Bridger. Perhaps more than any other individual, the history of the post revolves around this civilian merchant who remained at the center of the post's activities for his lifetime. When William A. Carter died in November 1881, his wife, Mary Elizabeth Hamilton Carter, became sutler, then renamed as the post trader until 1890. Judge Carter was a [[probate judge]] who had served in the army during the [[Seminole Wars]]. He managed both his sutler's store, and the post office, under one roof.<ref>Connor, P. E. William Alexander and Mary E. Carter Papers. Utah State University. Special Collections. MSS 29. http://archiveswest.orbiscascade.org/ark:/80444/xv50091</ref><ref name=rse/>{{rp|32–33,49}}

Chief [[Washakie]] signed the [[Fort Bridger Treaty of 1868]] at the fort on 3 July, which ceded the Shoshone and Bannock lands in southwestern Wyoming, and created the [[Wind River Indian Reservation]].<ref name=rse/>{{rp|47–48}}

Lieutenant Colonel Henry Morrow was in command from 9 November 1867 until 17 April 1869. During this time, Fort Bridger troops helped guard construction of the [[Overland Route (Union Pacific Railroad)]] and the [[Overland Stage and Mail]] route. In the summer of 1870, [[Yale College]] Professor [[Othniel Charles Marsh]] used the fort as a base camp during a geological expedition. The fort was also host to the geological survey conducted by [[Ferdinand Vandeveer Hayden]] from 12 September to 1 October 1870.<ref name=rse/>{{rp|48–49,75}} Ultimately, the expansion of the railroads in the west made this and other forts obsolete. Fort Bridger was first abandoned in 1878 but then was re-established two years later. The Army closed the post in 1890 when Wyoming became a state.<ref name="wyabout">{{cite web|url=http://wyoparks.state.wy.us/index.php/about-fort-bridger|title=About - Fort Bridger State Historic Site|publisher=[[Wyoming Division of State Parks and Historic Sites]]|access-date=October 20, 2018}}</ref>

==Preservation==
[[File:Pony Express Map William Henry Jackson.jpg|thumb|650px|center|{{center|Map of the [[Pony Express]] Route in 1860<br />by [[William Henry Jackson]] ~ courtesy the [[Library of Congress]]}}]]

The historical Fort Bridger has several interesting old buildings still standing: the old [[Pony Express]] barn and the Mormon protective wall.<ref name="Godfrey, Anthony"/><ref name=by/>{{rp|117–119}}

On June 27, 1928, the site of the fort, and remaining buildings, were sold to the Historical Landmark Commission of Wyoming. Dedication ceremonies were held on June 25, 1933 establishing Fort Bridger as a Wyoming Historical Landmark and Museum. The Annual Fort Bridger Muzzle Loading Rendezvous is held every [[Labor Day]] weekend.<ref name=rse/>{{rp|72–74}}<ref name=by>{{cite book|last1=Gowans|first1=Fred|last2=Campbell|first2=Eugene|title=Fort Bridger: Island in the Wilderness|date=1975|publisher=Brigham Young University Press|location=Provo|isbn=0842504206|pages=166–167}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|National Register of Historic Places|Wyoming}}
*[[Charles Howard (photographer)|Charles Howard]]
* [[List of the oldest buildings in Wyoming]]
*[[Wyoming Historical Landmarks]]

== References==
{{Reflist}}

==Further reading==
* (1994) [https://web.archive.org/web/20240321170231/https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/f/FORT_BRIDGER.shtml "Fort Bridger"] article in the [https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/ ''Utah History Encyclopedia.''] The article was written by Hope A. Hilton and Lynn M. Hilton and the Encyclopedia was published by the University of Utah Press. ISBN 9780874804256. Archived from [https://www.uen.org/utah_history_encyclopedia/f/FORT_BRIDGER.shtml the original] on March 21, 2024 and retrieved on April 24, 2024.

==External links==
{{commons category|Fort Bridger}}
* {{NARA catalog record|73730775}}
* [https://wyoparks.wyo.gov/index.php/places-to-go/fort-bridger Fort Bridger page], Wyoming Department of State Parks and Historic Sites
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20160628021638/http://wyoshpo.state.wy.us/trailsdemo/fort_bridger.htm Fort Bridger info] from the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
* [https://www.legendsofamerica.com/wy-fortbridger/ Fort Bridger] - Legends of America information
* [http://www.fortbridgerrendezvous.net/ fortbridgerrendezvous.net] - Additional information about the Fort Bridger Rendezvous.

{{NRHP in Uinta County, Wyoming}}
{{Protected areas of Wyoming}}
{{Mormon Trail landmarks}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Mexican–American War forts]]
[[Category:1842 establishments in North America]]
[[Category:California Trail]]
[[Category:Fur trade]]
[[Category:Military and war museums in Wyoming]]
[[Category:Mormon Trail]]
[[Category:Oregon Trail]]
[[Category:Forts on the National Register of Historic Places in Wyoming|Bridger]]
[[Category:Protected areas of Uinta County, Wyoming]]
[[Category:Utah War]]
[[Category:Wyoming state historic sites]]
[[Category:Provincial and state parks in the Rocky Mountains]]
[[Category:Museums in Uinta County, Wyoming]]
[[Category:Pre-statehood history of Wyoming]]
[[Category:National Register of Historic Places in Uinta County, Wyoming]]
[[Category:IUCN Category III]]
[[Category:Military installations established in 1858]]
[[Category:Military installations closed in 1890]]
[[Category:1858 establishments in Utah Territory]]
[[Category:1890 disestablishments in Wyoming]]