Reconstructed buildings at the site of Fort Caspar

Fort Caspar was a military post of the United States Army located in present-day Casper, Wyoming (which is named for the fort). Founded in the 1859 as a trading post along the Oregon Trail, it was located on the North Platte River. It was later taken over by the Army and renamed and used during 1865 as protection of emigrants and the telegraph line against raids from Lakota and Cheyenne in the ongoing wars between those nations and the United States. The fort was named for 2LT. Caspar Collins, a U.S. Army officer who was on the post only one night when he was killed in the Battle of the Platte Bridge Station against the Lakota and Cheyenne at the site.. The site of the fort is listed in the National Register of Historic Places now owned by the City of Casper and operated the Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site. Reconstructed buildings at the site of Fort Caspar (now a museum) in Casper, Wyoming (taken Oct. ... Reconstructed buildings at the site of Fort Caspar (now a museum) in Casper, Wyoming (taken Oct. ... The Army is the branch of the United States armed forces that has primary responsibility for land-based military operations. ... Downtown Casper Casper is a city located in Natrona County, Wyoming. ... Official language(s) English Capital Cheyenne Largest city Cheyenne Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 10th 253,554 km² 450 km 580 km 0. ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... The route of the Oregon Trail is shown in red in the western United States The Ox Team or the Old Oregon Trail 1852-1906 by Ezra Meeker. ... The North Platte River The North Platte River is a tributary of the Platte River, approximately 680 mi (1,094 km) long, in the U.S. states of Colorado, Wyoming, and Nebraska. ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Telegraphy (from the Greek words tele = far away and grapho = write) is the long distance transmission of written messages without physical transport of letters, originally over wire. ... The Lakota (IPA: ) (also Lakhota, Teton, Titonwon) are a Native American tribe. ... The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains. ... The National Register of Historic Places is the USAs official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects worthy of preservation. ...

History

The fort was located on the south side of the North Platte, on the western edge of present-day Casper, where the Emigrant Trail crossed from the south side to the north side of the river. In 1847, during the first Mormon wagon train to present-day Utah, Brigham Young commissioned a ferry at the site for later emigrants. The ferry consisted of cottonwood dugout canoes and planking for a deck, with two oars and a rudder. On June 19, Brigham Young named nine men to remain to operate the ferry while the remainder of the party continued the journey westward. A group of Mormons returned to the site each summer between 1847 and 1852 to operate the ferry. The ferry was moved to a different spot on the North Platte in North Casper in 1849. It was eventually replaced with a rope-and-pulley system that could make the crossing in five minutes. The Emigrant Trail is the name collectively applied to the network of wagon trails throughout the American West during the middle 19th century, used by emigrants from the eastern United States to settle lands west of Rocky Mountains. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... Mormon is a colloquial term used to refer to members of most of the sects of the Latter Day Saint movement, a Christian religious movement which began in the 1830s. ... Official language(s) English Capital Salt Lake City Largest city Salt Lake City Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 13th 219,887 km² 435 km 565 km 3. ... Brigham Vu Young (June 1, 1801 – August 29, 1877) was the second prophet and president of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (LDS Church; see also Mormonism). ... The Pride of Burgundy, a P&O Ferries car ferry on the Dover-Calais route A ferry is a boat or a ship carrying passengers, and sometimes their vehicles, on scheduled services. ... Species Populus deltoides L. Populus fremontii [[]] Populus nigra L. The cottonwoods are three species of poplars in the section Aegiros of the genus Populus, native to North America, Europe and western Asia. ... Canoe at El Nido, Philippines A canoe is a relatively small boat, typically human-powered, but also commonly sailed. ... June 19 is the 170th day of the year (171st in leap years) in the Gregorian Calendar, with 195 days remaining. ... 1852 was a leap year starting on Thursday (see link for calendar). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

In the following years, trader John Baptiste Richard established a trading post downriver of the crossing. The U.S. Army established its first presence in the area in 1855, erecting Fort Clay near Richard's trading post. In 1859, when the site was part of the Nebraska Territory, Louis Guinard built a bridge at the trading post, called the Platte Bridge Station, at the site of the old Mormon Ferry crossing. From 1860–1861, the Pony Express operated a station at the site. 1855 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1859 is a common year starting on Saturday. ... Nebraska Territory was a historic, organized territory of the United States from May 30, 1854 until March 1, 1867 when Nebraska became the 37th U.S. state. ... Reconstructed buildings at the site of Fort Caspar Fort Caspar was a military post of the United States Army located in present-day Casper, Wyoming (which is named for the fort). ... 1860 is the leap year starting on Sunday. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... The Utah portion of the Pony Express Trail. ...

By the middle 1860s, the increasing presence of emigrants and other white settlers in the region began to cause friction with the Lakota and Cheyenne. In response, and partly to protect the new telegraph line, the United States Army in 1861 began increasing its deployment of troops in the region, sending a detachment to guard Guinard's bridge. In 1862 the Army purchased the Guinard's Platte Bridge station. In July of 1865, partly in response to the Sand Creek Massacre the previous November in Colorado, a party of several thousand Cheyenne and Lakota, including the famous chief Red Cloud, attacked a wagon train escorted by a Lt. Collins, which was attempting to reach the post from Sweetwater Station. Collins and his men were overhwhelmed by Native American warriors as they crossed the bridge, and although they attempted to fight their way back, Collins and three other soldiers were killed. The battle became known as the Battle of Platte River Bridge. The Army officially renamed the post to honor Collins. An existing post was already called Fort Collins, named afer Collins' father, and thus the Army used Collins' first name. In response to the attacks, the Army established a permanent garrison of 100 troops at the site. The Lakota (IPA: ) (also Lakhota, Teton, Titonwon) are a Native American tribe. ... The Cheyenne are a Native American nation of the Great Plains. ... 1861 is a common year starting on Tuesday. ... 1862 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar). ... 1865 is a common year starting on Sunday. ... Combatants United States of America Cheyenne Arapaho Commanders John M. Chivington Black Kettle Strength 700 500 Casualties 10 dead, 36 wounded 150 {{{notes}}} The Sand Creek Massacre (also known as the Chivington Massacre) was an infamous incident in the Indian Wars of the United States that occurred on November 29... Official language(s) English Capital Denver Largest city Denver Area  - Total  - Width  - Length  - % water  - Latitude  - Longitude Ranked 8th 269 837 km² 451 km 612 km 0. ... To meet Wikipedias quality standards, this article or section may require cleanup. ... Horsetooth Rock, atop Horsetooth Mountain, is often used as a symbol of Fort Collins. ...

The fort was abandoned two years later in August, 1867, with the garrison moved to Fort Fetterman at Douglas, Wyoming. Fort Caspar was partially reconstructed in 1936 using sketches made by Lt. Collins in 1863. The City of Casper now operates an open air museum at the site, which features reconstructed log buildings, including a wooden stockade. The site also includes a replica of the Mormon ferry that was operated there between 1847 and 1849. August is the eighth month of the year in the Gregorian Calendar and one of seven Gregorian months with the length of 31 days. ... 1867 (MDCCCLXVII) was a common year starting on Tuesday (see link for calendar). ... Douglas is a city located in Converse County, Wyoming. ... 1936 (MCMXXXVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... 1863 (MDCCCLXIII) is a common year starting on Thursday of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Saturday of the Julian calendar). ... A stockade is an enclosure of palisades and tall walls made of logs placed side by side vertically with the tops sharpened to provide some security. ... 1847 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar). ... 1849 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ...

To visit Fort Caspar, travel to Casper, Wyoming, and then travel 1.5 Miles (2.41 KM) west along 13th Street to historic Fort Caspar. Downtown Casper Casper is a city located in Natrona County, Wyoming. ...

External link

• Official site