Fort Bridger

Fort Bridger (1843-1890) - Established by Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez in 1843 as a fur trading post and later acquired by the U.S. Army. Fort Bridger was transferred to the Interior Department 14 Oct 1890 and finally abandoned by the U.S. Army 6 Nov 1890.

Fort Bridger, 1873, N.Y. Daily Graphic, June 16, 1873

Fort Bridger History

It became an important emigrant supply stop along the Oregon Trail. In 1855 the fort was sold to the Mormons for $8,000 they burned it down during the Mormon War to keep it from falling into U.S. Army hands. The Fort was assumed by the U.S. military under Albert Sidney Johnston in 1858.

In spite of temporary times of abandonment during the U.S. Civil War and then again during the late 1870s, Fort Bridger remained U.S. Government property until 1890.

After the post was abandoned, many of the buildings constructed by the army were sold at public auction and moved off of the fort grounds to become private homes, barns, bunkhouses and the like. For a time, the buildings that remained were allowed to fall into disrepair. But after a period of neglect, various groups and individuals took interest in preserving and restoring what remained of old Fort Bridger. In 1933 the property was dedicated as a Wyoming Historical Landmark and Museum.

Current Status

Fort Bridger is now a state historic site and administered by Wyoming State Parks & Historic Sites, Division of Parks & Cultural Resources, Wyoming Department of State Parks & Cultural Resources.

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Location: three miles off Interstate 80, exit #34, approximately 30 miles east of Evanston, Wyoming. Maps & Images Lat: 41.317722 Long: -110.392148 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 7000

Sources:

• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 196
• Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 178
• Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 855-857

Links:

• State Park
• North American Forts - Fort Bridger

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