Fort Laramie National Historic Site
It is one of the most commonly asked questions here - and with good reason. Those who grew up watching western movies expect to see a fort with a large wooden stockade. Like many other aspects of Hollywood westerns, the walled military fort makes for better entertainment than good history.One reason Fort Laramie lacked a wall was that timber was not abundant. The other reason had to do with the combat style of the Plains Indian Warrior, who relied on mobility and preferred fighting on horseback in open terrain to siege warfare. The army quickly recognized building walled forts was unnecessary and expensive. The military did, however, construct temporary fortifications here. The linear depression in front of you is all that remains of a rifle trench built in 1865.In February 1865, Cheyenne and Lakota warriors attacked Mud Springs Station, 105 miles east. A detachment of 172 soldiers left to relieve the station, leaving Fort Laramie dangerously undermanned. Construction of three artillery emplacements linked by rifle trenches was ordered in response.A fortified adobe redoubt built the following year further strengthened the defenses and doubled as a corral and teamsters' quarters. Two hexagonal blockhouses stood at opposing corners of the eight-foot-high adobe-walled enclosure. Concern about attacks subsided after the 1868 treaties were signed and the defensive trenches rapidly fell into disrepair.HM Number | HM1MSV |
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Tags | |
Placed By | National Park Service |
Marker Condition | No reports yet |
Date Added | Wednesday, August 12th, 2015 at 1:01pm PDT -07:00 |
UTM (WGS84 Datum) | 13T E 536588 N 4672810 |
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Decimal Degrees | 42.20660000, -104.55676667 |
Degrees and Decimal Minutes | N 42° 12.396', W 104° 33.406' |
Degrees, Minutes and Seconds | 42° 12' 23.76" N, 104° 33' 24.36" W |
Driving Directions | Google Maps |
Area Code(s) | 307 |
Which side of the road? | Marker is on the right when traveling East |
Closest Postal Address | At or near Co Rd 53, Fort Laramie WY 82212, US |
Alternative Maps | Google Maps, MapQuest, Bing Maps, Yahoo Maps, MSR Maps, OpenCycleMap, MyTopo Maps, OpenStreetMap |
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