Fort Laramie National Historic Site

"French, Spanish and Indian and mixed are very common here and all languages are being jabbered in promiscuous interchange."Charles B. Darwin, Fort Laramie,June 28, 1849Métis (ma-tes') - of mixed race, particularly, mixed Native American and French ancestry.All but forgotten, the mixed-blood peoples of the plains trace their origins to the heyday of the fur trade. Fur traders, predominately of French and French-Canadian ancestry, entered into "trade marriages" with Native American women, giving them social status within the tribes and trade advantages. Children produced by these unions, the "American Métis," reflected the fusion of two rich cultures. Their mixed traditions and command of both European and Indian languages made them perfect intermediaries between two worlds.As the fur trade declined in importance, the Métis adapted to change, finding work as interpreters, guides, and scouts for the government. There were social changes as well. As cities and towns sprang up, Victorian society no longer tolerated "squaw men" and "half breeds," as the Métis were derisively called. Interethnic marriages, once seen as a proud social asset became a badge of disgrace. Instead of being the elite of plains society, the "American Métis" were now outside looking in.Ward-Guerrier Trading PostAcross the Laramie River from where you are now standing, Seth Ward and William Guerrier operated a small trading post in the early 1850s. Typical of a plains trader, Guerrier married a Cheyenne woman and conducted his business in a broad area between Bent's Fort and the Powder River country north of Fort Laramie. Guerrier died in 1858 while trading with the Lakota after accidentally igniting a keg of gunpowder in his wagon.

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Show me all markers in:  Fort Laramie, WY  |  Goshen County  |  82212  |  Wyoming  |  United States of America

Fort John - The 'Second Fort Laramie'
Fort William and the Fur Trade
Reading, 'Riting, and 'Rithmetic
Captain's Quarters
The "Government Workhouse"
Administration Building
Refinement at Fort Laramie
Military Justice: Punishment Harsh and Certain
Officers Quarters
Parade Ground

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