Fort Bridger
Encyclopedia
Fort Bridger was originally a 19th century fur trading
outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork
of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail
, California Trail
and Mormon Trail
. The 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.
Jim Bridger
, after whom it is named, and Louis Vasquez
.
, a violation of Federal Law. He escaped capture, temporarily returning 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 buying it from Bridger for $8,000 in gold coins. 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. 128 that ostensibly sold Fort Bridger to the LDS Church. Bridger and Vasquez's name was signed by H. F. Morrell in the presence of Alinerin Grow and William Adams Hickman, purportedly pursuant to a power of attorney. Since Bridger was absent from the area in 1855, acting as guide for Sir St. George Gore, and absent a signed power of attorney from Bridger.
and federal authorities in Washington, D.C. Following the election of President James Buchanan
, the United States Army
was ordered to Utah to install a new governor, replacing Brigham Young, as well as to establish a military presence. As the Army advanced, the Mormons in the Green River valley withdrew, burning Fort Supply and Supply City. On the night of October 7, 1857, "Wild Bill" Hickman set fire to Fort Bridger to keep it from falling into the hands of the approaching United States Army
during the Utah War
. The army wintered near Fort Bridger. In June 1858, as the majority of Johnston's Army set off for Salt Lake City, two companies of troops remained behind and established Fort Bridger as an official Army post. The other troops continued on and eventually established Camp Floyd
south of Salt Lake City.
William A. Carter was appointed as post sutler
at Fort Bridger in 1858. 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 its entire history.
At the end of the hostilities, the United States Congress
rejected Brigham Young
's claim to the fort, nor did it recognize Jim Bridger's continuing claims to the fort.
barn and the Mormon protective wall are still in existence there.
in 1861, all the federal troops in Utah Territory were withdrawn to fight the Confederate States Army
in the east. The following year, Colonel Patrick Edward Connor
was sent to Utah with a column of California Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry, establishing Fort Douglas
near Salt Lake City. Connor later sent two companies and reestablished Army presence at Fort Bridger. A variety of volunteer units were stationed at Bridger during the Civil War.
was built through the area. Ultimately, the expansion of the railroads in the west made this and other forts obsolete.
Fort Bridger was first abandoned in 1878 but then re-established two years later. The post was finally closed by the army in 1890.
visited the garrison in 1851 and Samuel C. Mills
, traveling with the Army bound for Utah, produced at least one image of Fort Bridger in 1858. Salt Lake City photographer Charles W. Carter
came during the winter of 1866-67 and his former mentor, Charles Savage
, visited a number of times between 1866 and the early 1870s. The noted Union Pacific Railroad
photographer Andrew J. Russell
also stopped here in 1869. Census records show a photographer named Simeon Pierson at the post in 1870. In 1876-77, a soldier, Private Charles Howard
ran a studio at the post.
Fur trade
The fur trade is a worldwide industry dealing in the acquisition and sale of animal fur. Since the establishment of world market for in the early modern period furs of boreal, polar and cold temperate mammalian animals have been the most valued...
outpost established in 1842 on Blacks Fork
Blacks Fork
Blacks Fork is a tributary of the Green River in Utah and Wyoming. The river rises on the northern side of the Uinta Mountains as the combination of three streams draining the area around Tokewanna Peak near the Utah-Wyoming border...
of the Green River and later a vital resupply point for wagon trains on the Oregon Trail
Oregon Trail
The Oregon Trail is a historic east-west wagon route that connected the Missouri River to valleys in Oregon and locations in between.After 1840 steam-powered riverboats and steamboats traversing up and down the Ohio, Mississippi and Missouri rivers sped settlement and development in the flat...
, California Trail
California Trail
The California Trail was an emigrant trail of about across the western half of the North American continent from Missouri River towns to what is now the state of California...
and Mormon Trail
Mormon Trail
The Mormon Trail or Mormon Pioneer Trail is the 1,300 mile route that members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints traveled from 1846 to 1868...
. The 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
Fort Bridger, Wyoming
Fort Bridger is a census-designated place in Uinta County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 400 at the 2000 census. The town takes its name from the eponymous Fort Bridger established in 1842.-Geography:...
, remains near the fort and takes its name from it.
Bridger's Trading Post
The post was established by the mountain manMountain man
Mountain men were trappers and explorers who roamed the North American Rocky Mountains from about 1810 through the 1880s where they were instrumental in opening up the various Emigrant Trails allowing Americans in the east to settle the new territories of the far west by organized wagon trains...
Jim Bridger
Jim Bridger
James Felix "Jim" Bridger was among the foremost mountain men, trappers, scouts and guides who explored and trapped the Western United States during the decades of 1820-1850, as well as mediating between native tribes and encroaching whites...
, after whom it is named, and Louis Vasquez
Louis Vasquez
Pierre Luis Vasquez was a mountain man and trader. He was born and raised at St. Louis, Missouri. Pierre Luis Vasquez was the son of Benito Vasquez and Marie-Julie Papin Pierre Luis Vasquez (October 3, 1798 – September 5, 1868) was a mountain man and trader. He was born and raised at St....
.
Mormons and Fort Supply
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 AmericansNative Americans in the United States
Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples in North America within the boundaries of the present-day continental United States, parts of Alaska, and the island state of Hawaii. They are composed of numerous, distinct tribes, states, and ethnic groups, many of which survive as...
, a violation of Federal Law. He escaped capture, temporarily returning 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 buying it from Bridger for $8,000 in gold coins. 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. 128 that ostensibly sold Fort Bridger to the LDS Church. Bridger and Vasquez's name was signed by H. F. Morrell in the presence of Alinerin Grow and William Adams Hickman, purportedly pursuant to a power of attorney. Since Bridger was absent from the area in 1855, acting as guide for Sir St. George Gore, and absent a signed power of attorney from Bridger.
Utah War
Relations deteriorated between Mormon leaders in Utah TerritoryUtah Territory
The Territory of Utah was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from September 9, 1850, until January 4, 1896, when the final extent of the territory was admitted to the Union as the State of Utah....
and federal authorities in Washington, D.C. Following the election of President James Buchanan
James Buchanan
James Buchanan, Jr. was the 15th President of the United States . He is the only president from Pennsylvania, the only president who remained a lifelong bachelor and the last to be born in the 18th century....
, the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
was ordered to Utah to install a new governor, replacing Brigham Young, as well as to establish a military presence. As the Army advanced, the Mormons in the Green River valley withdrew, burning Fort Supply and Supply City. On the night of October 7, 1857, "Wild Bill" Hickman set fire to Fort Bridger to keep it from falling into the hands of the approaching United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
during the Utah War
Utah War
The Utah War, also known as the Utah Expedition, Buchanan's Blunder, the Mormon War, or the Mormon Rebellion was an armed confrontation between LDS settlers in the Utah Territory and the armed forces of the United States government. The confrontation lasted from May 1857 until July 1858...
. The army wintered near Fort Bridger. In June 1858, as the majority of Johnston's Army set off for Salt Lake City, two companies of troops remained behind and established Fort Bridger as an official Army post. The other troops continued on and eventually established Camp Floyd
Camp Floyd
Camp Floyd was a short-lived U.S. Army post near Fairfield, Utah, United States. The site is now a Utah state park known as Camp Floyd / Stagecoach Inn State Park and Museum.-Camp Floyd:...
south of Salt Lake City.
William A. Carter was appointed as post sutler
Sutler
A sutler or victualer is a civilian merchant who sells provisions to an army in the field, in camp or in quarters. The sutler sold wares from the back of a wagon or a temporary tent, allowing them to travel along with an army or to remote military outposts...
at Fort Bridger in 1858. 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 its entire history.
At the end of the hostilities, the United States Congress
United States Congress
The United States Congress is the bicameral legislature of the federal government of the United States, consisting of the Senate and the House of Representatives. The Congress meets in the United States Capitol in Washington, D.C....
rejected Brigham Young
Brigham Young
Brigham Young was an American leader in the Latter Day Saint movement and a settler of the Western United States. He was the President of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints from 1847 until his death in 1877, he founded Salt Lake City, and he served as the first governor of the Utah...
's claim to the fort, nor did it recognize Jim Bridger's continuing claims to the fort.
Fort Bridger as Pony Express Station
Named after Jim Bridger. The first owner of the fort was perhaps the most picturesque figure in early Wyoming. He was often called the ‘Daniel’ Boone of the Rockies. Fort Bridger, which he built and Bridger’s Pass, which he discovered were named for him. This historical fort has several interesting old buildings still standing; the old Pony ExpressPony Express
The Pony Express was a fast mail service crossing the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, and the High Sierra from St. Joseph, Missouri, to Sacramento, California, from April 3, 1860 to October 1861...
barn and the Mormon protective wall are still in existence there.
Civil War
Following the outbreak of the American Civil WarAmerican Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
in 1861, all the federal troops in Utah Territory were withdrawn to fight the Confederate States Army
Confederate States Army
The Confederate States Army was the army of the Confederate States of America while the Confederacy existed during the American Civil War. On February 8, 1861, delegates from the seven Deep South states which had already declared their secession from the United States of America adopted the...
in the east. The following year, Colonel Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor
Patrick Edward Connor was a Union General during the American Civil War. He was most famous for his campaigns against Native Americans in the American Old West.-Early life and career:...
was sent to Utah with a column of California Volunteer Cavalry and Infantry, establishing Fort Douglas
Fort Douglas, Utah
Camp Douglas was established in October 1862 as a small military garrison about three miles east of Salt Lake City, Utah, for the purpose of protecting the overland mail route and telegraph lines along the Central Overland Route. In 1878, the post was renamed Fort Douglas. The fort was officially...
near Salt Lake City. Connor later sent two companies and reestablished Army presence at Fort Bridger. A variety of volunteer units were stationed at Bridger during the Civil War.
Return of the Regular Army
In 1866 with the muster out of the volunteer units, the Regular Army returned to man Fort Bridger. The first were companies of the Eighteenth Infantry. The isolation of the post decreased some in 1869 when the Union Pacific RailroadUnion Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
was built through the area. Ultimately, the expansion of the railroads in the west made this and other forts obsolete.
Fort Bridger was first abandoned in 1878 but then re-established two years later. The post was finally closed by the army in 1890.
Town of Fort Bridger
After the departure of the Army, the buildings were sold off and the site soon became a cattle town in southwest Wyoming. A hotel was established in the old Commanding Officer's Quarters and the large stone barracks eventually became a milking barn.Fort Bridger State Historic Site
In 1928, Fort Bridger was sold to the Wyoming Historic Landmark Commission for preservation as a historic monument, now designated as Fort Bridger State Historic Site. Several original buildings remain and have been restored. The 1888 stone barracks contains a museum with artifacts from different time periods in the fort history. Visitors can also tour a reconstructed trading post and an interpretive archaeological site.Annual Fur Trade Rendezvous at Fort Bridger
The Fort Bridger Rendezvous is a celebration of the fur trade era that existed in the 19th century. The rendezvous at Fort Bridger has been an annual event since the mid-1970s. It is now one of the largest rendezvous in the west drawing hundreds of merchants and several thousand visitors each year. The rendezvous is run by the Fort Bridger Rendezvous Association, a non-profit organization. Events include primitive demonstrations, cook offs, black powder rifle shooting, knife throwing and hawk contests, candy cannon, native American Indian dancing, story telling, magic shows and more. A large portion of the rendezvous is commerce. All products sold within the fort during the rendezvous must pre-date or be a replicate of something that pre-dates 1840.Photographers at Fort Bridger
Photographers had been passing through this frontier military post since almost the inception of the art form. Daguerreotypist John Wesley JonesJohn Wesley Jones
Johnny "Lam" Jones is a former American sprinter and former American football player. He won a gold medal in the 4 x 100 meter relay at the 1976 Summer Olympics....
visited the garrison in 1851 and Samuel C. Mills
Samuel C. Mills
A photographer from Washington, D.C., Samuel C. Mills produced the earliest surviving photographic record of the Oregon Trail and California Trail, from Fort Leavenworth, Kansas Territory, to Camp Floyd, Utah Territory.-Early years:...
, traveling with the Army bound for Utah, produced at least one image of Fort Bridger in 1858. Salt Lake City photographer Charles W. Carter
Charles W. Carter
Charles W. Carter was an Alaskan politician and the eighth mayor of Juneau, Alaska, from 1913 to 1914. He was a citizen of Alaska by 1901...
came during the winter of 1866-67 and his former mentor, Charles Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage
Charles Roscoe Savage was a British-born landscape and portrait photographer who produced images of the American West. He is best known for his 1869 photographs of the linking of the first transcontinental railroad....
, visited a number of times between 1866 and the early 1870s. The noted Union Pacific Railroad
Union Pacific Railroad
The Union Pacific Railroad , headquartered in Omaha, Nebraska, is the largest railroad network in the United States. James R. Young is president, CEO and Chairman....
photographer Andrew J. Russell
Andrew J. Russell
Andrew Joseph Russell was a 19th-century American photographer of the Civil War and Union Pacific Railroad. Russell was the official photographer of the eastern half of the first transcontinental railroad...
also stopped here in 1869. Census records show a photographer named Simeon Pierson at the post in 1870. In 1876-77, a soldier, Private Charles Howard
Charles Howard (photographer)
A private in the Fourth Infantry, Charles Howard served as photographer for the Stanton Expedition in 1877, traveling throughout eastern Wyoming, western Nebraska and into the Black Hills of Dakota Territory.-Early years:...
ran a studio at the post.
Archaeology
Dr. Dudley Gardner began work at Fort Bridger in 1990. Over the past fifteen years, he and his students have uncovered a portion of Bridger's original post, the Mormon fortification and the Army's subsquenent occupation. Work is currently advancing on the official excavation reports.External links
- Fort Bridger page, Wyoming Department of State Parks and Cultural Resources
- Fort Bridger info from the Wyoming State Historic Preservation Office
- Fort Bridger - Legends of America information
- http://www.fortbridgerrendezvous.net - Additional information about the Fort Bridger Rendezvous.