Historic Military Institutions in Wyoming (East)
Loading...
Get a QR Code for this tour
Description
Historic forts and military sites throughout Wyoming.
1. Francis E. Warren Air Base Visitor Center (Formerly Fort D.A. Russell)
This former Army fort is now part of Francis E. Warren Air Base and this visitors center is where non-military personnel can gain access to the museum that is located on the base. Those who are able to tour the base can still get a sense of the layout of D.A. Russell. The fort was created in 1867 to protect rail traffic and demonstrate the nation's commitment to controlling the interior as wars with the Sioux and Cheyenne Indians began to increase. Though no known battles occurred near the fort, D.A. Russell was vital to protect settlers heading west and was essential to the growth of nearby Cheyenne. From the perspective of Native tribes who had been guaranteed sovereignty over these lands in previous treaties, the fort demonstrated the imperialistic nature of the American republic. The army fort was home to tens of thousands of troops who trained here before serving in the Spanish American War, World War I, and World War II. Following the establishment of the Air force, it became Francis E. Warren Air Base. Fort D.A. Russell Days are held annually to celebrate the importance of the fort and the time period in Wyoming's history.
2. Warren ICBM and Heritage Museum
This Cold War history museum is located in the building that served as the home of the base commander when this was an army installation at the turn of the century. This museum offers a history of the military installation with an emphasis on missiles and other forms of deterrence during the Cold War era. The museum also offers exhibits that demonstrate how many of the men and women who served at this and other military installations worked and lived. The museum is open to the public, and visitors who are not active members of the military should call in advance to review the procedure for civilians to enter Warren Air Force Base.
3. Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Fort Laramie served as a military post in the western Indian Wars from 1849 to 1890. It was originally built with cottonwood logs, as a stockade by fur traders in the spring of 1834 and called Fort William. A replacement structure (Fort John) was built from adobe brick in 1841. Finally, the US Army purchased the structure from the American Fur Company in 1849 and established a military post at this location that was connected to a string of other US Army posts along western trails across the American frontier. Fort Laramie served as a host site for treaty negotiations with the Northern Plains Native American Nations in the mid-1800s. Fort Laramie offers a variety of exhibits and signs related to Native American history, Western Expansion, and laws such as the Homestead Act. Visitors can also learn about the history of the Oregon Trail, the Pony Express and the transcontinental telegraph. Fort Laramie also offers programs and experiences that share the experience of soldiers in the harsh environment of the Northern Great Plains. For example, visitors can explore historic weapons through exhibits and demonstrations, discover the parts and purposes of a mid-19th century wardrobe, experience life within a frontier post through a guided tour, and learn how fur traders acquired lucrative contracts. There are also opportunities to explore area trails and see local wildlife as well as outdoor activities such as hunting, fishing, camping, and hiking.
4. Fort Fetterman
Fort Fetterman was a wooden fort constructed in 1867 by the United States Army on the Great Plains frontier in Dakota Territory, approximately 11 miles northwest of present-day Douglas, Wyoming. The fort was located high on the bluffs south of the North Platte River. Although never the site of any major battle, the fort served as a major supply and logistics base and the starting point for many military expeditions against area Native American tribes. The fort's primary mission was to demonstrate US interests in controlling this section of the country and to protect pioneers on the Bozeman Trail. The fort is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
5. Historical Marker: Casper Armory
Between 1930-1987, this was the site of the Casper Armory, a facility occupied by the Headquarters Troop of the 115th Cavalry Regiment of the National Guard. The site consists of the historical marker and a brick monument with a bronze model of the armory on top. The armory was a rather large building; it had an indoor field where horses and guardsmen and women trained, horse stalls, a Blacksmith shop, a wagon shop, and an equipment room. The second level had a hayloft, a viewing area, and a ballroom. The city demolished the building in 1987 to facilitate better traffic access to Casper College.
6. Fort Caspar Museum
Fort Caspar was a military post of the United States Army in present-day Wyoming named after 2nd Lieutenant Caspar Collins, a U.S. Army officer who was killed in the 1865 Battle of the Platte Bridge Station against the Lakota and Cheyenne. Originally founded in 1859 along the banks of the North Platte River as a trading post and toll bridge on the Oregon Trail, the post was later taken over by the Army and named Platte Bridge Station to protect emigrants and the telegraph line against raids from Lakota and Cheyenne in the ongoing wars between those nations and the United States. The site of the fort, near the intersection of 13th Street and Wyoming Boulevard in Casper, Wyoming, is listed in the National Register of Historic Places and is now owned and operated by the City of Casper as the Fort Caspar Museum and Historic Site.
7. Fort Phil Kearney
Established in 1866, this historic site was the location of Fort Phil Kearney, named in honor of Civil War General Philip Kearney. The fort was one of the most important posts created by Col. Henry Carrington to protect the Bozeman Trail that led to Montanna's goldfields. The fort was built from timber that came from several miles away. Soldiers stationed here were among the eighty troops that perished in the Fetterman Massacre when Native tribes lured the fort's commander to send eighty men and Captain William Fetterman into a trap. Following the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868, the fort was abandoned and later burned by area Indian tribes.
