Fort Laramie

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A fort in eastern Wyoming that was a private fur-trading post from 1834 to 1849 and a U.S. military post from 1849 to 1890. Two fur traders, William Sublette and Robert Campbell, established the post because of its useful setting in prime beaver-trapping country. Many settlers and migrants to the West Coast used the post in the 1830s and 1840s. In 1849 the U.S. Army bought the fort in order to protect settlers and migrants from attack by Native Americans. In 1890 the fort was abandoned and partly dismantled, but in 1938 it was named a historic site under control of the National Park Service.

See the Introduction, Abbreviations and Pronunciation for further details.

Laramie, Fort, originally constructed in 1834 by fur traders, served as a meeting place for economic exchange between traders, trappers, and Indians. During the 1840s, the post's strategic location near the intersection of the Laramie and North Platte Rivers made it an important way station for emigrants moving west along the Oregon and Mormon Trails. When the increasing flow of westward migrants created conflicts with American Indian peoples, specifically the Northern Cheyennes and the Lakota Sioux, the U.S. Army purchased Fort Laramie and expanded the small log structure into a major military post.

After 1849, Fort Laramie was an important conduit in the U.S. government's western policy. While no major military engagements occurred within its immediate vicinity, the post served as a major staging ground for army expeditions against Indian nations in the Dakotas and Montana during the 1860s and 1870s. The fort was also a crucial hub in the civilian transportation and communication network that linked the Pacific coast with the eastern states. The Pony Express, Deadwood Stagecoach, and Trans-Continental Telegraph all used the fort at one time or another. However, Fort Laramie's most significant contribution to the conquest of the American West was its diplomatic role in the confinement of the Plains Indian tribes onto reservations. Two treaties signed at the fort, the first in 1851 and the second in 1868, paved the way for the transfer of vast expanses of Indian territory to the U.S. government and the relocation of thousands of Cheyennes, Sioux, and other Plains Indian peoples onto permanent reservations.

With the abatement of the western Indian wars during the 1880s, the army abandoned the fort in 1890 and auctioned its buildings to civilians. The federal government reacquired the surviving structures in 1938 and proclaimed the site a national monument, administered by the National Park Service.

Bibliography

Hafen, Le Roy R., and Francis Marion Young. Fort Laramie and the Pageant of the West, 1834–1890. Glendale, Calif.: Arthur H. Clarke, 1938.

Hedren, Paul L. Fort Laramie in 1876: Chronicle of a Frontier Post at War. Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 1988.

Lavender, David. Fort Laramie and the Changing Frontier: Fort Laramie National Historic Site, Wyoming. Washington, D.C.: Department of the Interior, 1983.

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Monday		HI:  58°F / 14°C LO: 24°F / -4°C
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Fort Laramie, Wyoming
—  Town  —
Sign in Fort Laramie
Location of Fort Laramie, Wyoming
Coordinates: 42°12′48″N 104°31′2″W / 42.21333°N 104.51722°W / 42.21333; -104.51722
Country	United States
State	Wyoming
County	Goshen
Area
- Total	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
- Land	0.3 sq mi (0.7 km2)
- Water	0.0 sq mi (0.0 km2)
Elevation	4,239 ft (1,292 m)
Population (2000)
- Total	243
- Density	916.7/sq mi (353.9/km2)
Time zone	Mountain (MST) (UTC-7)
- Summer (DST)	MDT (UTC-6)
ZIP code	82212
Area code(s)	307
FIPS code	56-28230[1]
GNIS feature ID	1588642[2]

Fort Laramie is a town in Goshen County, Wyoming, United States. The population was 243 at the 2000 census. The town is named after historic Fort Laramie, an important stop on the Oregon, California and Mormon trails as well as a staging point for various military excursions. The fort was located across the North Platte River from the current town, at the mouth of the Laramie River.

Contents 1 Geography 1.1 Climate 2 Demographics 3 References 4 External links

Geography

Fort Laramie is located at 42°12′48″N 104°31′2″W / 42.21333°N 104.51722°W / 42.21333; -104.51722 (42.213233, -104.517123).^[3]

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 0.3 square miles (0.7 km²), all of it land.

Climate

Weather averages for Fort Laramie
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Average high °F (°C)	42.8 (6)	45.2 (7)	52.9 (12)	60.7 (16)	70.7 (22)	80.9 (27)	89.1 (32)	88.0 (31)	78.5 (26)	64.8 (18)	49.5 (10)	42.0 (6)	63.8 (18)
Average low °F (°C)	12.9 (-11)	13.9 (-10)	21.2 (-6)	28.9 (-2)	39.1 (4)	47.6 (9)	53.6 (12)	51.3 (11)	41.2 (5)	28.3 (-2)	18.7 (-7)	12.0 (-11)	30.7 (-1)
Precipitation inches (mm)	0.20 (5.1)	0.45 (11.4)	0.74 (18.8)	1.73 (43.9)	2.55 (64.8)	2.59 (65.8)	2.08 (52.8)	1.42 (36.1)	1.55 (39.4)	1.10 (27.9)	0.54 (13.7)	0.27 (6.9)	15.23 (386.8)
Snowfall inches (mm)	1.6 (40.6)	3.7 (94)	3.2 (81.3)	2.5 (63.5)	0.1 (2.5)	0.0 (0)	0.0 (0)	0.0 (0)	0.1 (2.5)	1.7 (43.2)	2.5 (63.5)	4.4 (111.8)	19.7 (500.4)
Source: Western Regional Climate CenterService[4] 2 February 2009

Demographics

As of the census^[1] of 2000, there were 243 people, 119 households, and 59 families residing in the town. The population density was 916.7 people per square mile (347.5/km²). There were 149 housing units at an average density of 562.1/sq mi (213.1/km²). The racial makeup of the town was 94.65% White, 1.23% Native American, 2.06% from other races, and 2.06% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 4.53% of the population.

There were 119 households out of which 20.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 39.5% were married couples living together, 6.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 50.4% were non-families. 42.0% of all households were made up of individuals and 21.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.04 and the average family size was 2.86.

In the town the population was spread out with 21.8% under the age of 18, 4.5% from 18 to 24, 24.3% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 23.5% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females there were 91.3 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 84.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $22,500, and the median income for a family was $32,917. Males had a median income of $28,929 versus $13,125 for females. The per capita income for the town was $13,236. About 18.9% of families and 20.5% of the population were below the poverty line, including 23.3% of those under the age of eighteen and 12.5% of those sixty five or over.

References

1. ^ ^{a b} "American FactFinder". United States Census Bureau. http://factfinder.census.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
2. ^ "US Board on Geographic Names". United States Geological Survey. 2007-10-25. http://geonames.usgs.gov. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
3. ^ "US Gazetteer files: 2000 and 1990". United States Census Bureau. 2005-05-03. http://www.census.gov/geo/www/gazetteer/gazette.html. Retrieved on 2008-01-31. 
4. ^ "Old Fort Laramie, Wyoming: Period of Record Monthly Climate Summary". Western Regional Climate Center. http://www.wrcc.dri.edu/cgi-bin/cliMAIN.pl?wyoldl. Retrieved on 2009-02-02. 

External links

• Fort Laramie, Wyoming is at coordinates 42°12′48″N 104°31′02″W / 42.213233°N 104.517123°W / 42.213233; -104.517123 (Fort Laramie, Wyoming)Coordinates: 42°12′48″N 104°31′02″W / 42.213233°N 104.517123°W / 42.213233; -104.517123 (Fort Laramie, Wyoming)

v • d • e Municipalities and communities of Goshen County, Wyoming County seat: Torrington City Torrington Towns Fort Laramie | La Grange | Lingle | Yoder CDPs Hawk Springs | Huntley | Veteran Unincorporated community Jay Em

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