Fort Fetterman | |
   | |
| Nearest city | Orpha, Wyoming |
|---|---|
| Area | 70 acres (28 ha) |
| Built | 1867 |
| Architectural style | Log cabin style |
| NRHP reference No. | 69000187[1] |
| Added to NRHP | April 16, 1969 |
Fort Fetterman was constructed in 1867 by theUnited States Army on theGreat Plainsfrontier inDakota Territory, approximately 11 miles northwest of present-dayDouglas, Wyoming. Located high on the bluffs south of theNorth Platte River, it served as a major base for the start of several United States military expeditions against warringNative American tribes. The fort is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places.
Fort Fetterman was built as a major supply point for the United States army's operations in the area. Established on July 19, 1867, by Companies A, C, H, and I of the4th U.S. Infantry under the command of Major William E. Dye, the fort was named in honor of CaptainWilliam J. Fetterman,[2] who was killed in abattle with Indians nearFort Phil Kearny on December 21, 1866.[3]
"It contained quarters for three hundred enlisted men, and the necessary officers; the various magazines and store-houses required for the preservation of ammunition, rations and other supplies; a hospital with fifteen beds; stables for fifty horses; a corral capable of holding fifty-six mule wagons, with their animals; a theatre, an ice-house, a root-house, a granary, a bake-house, blacksmith shops, saw-mill, saddlers' shop, paint shop, laundresses' quarters and a steam engine for pumping water from the North Platte River."[4]
With the completion of Fort Fetterman, the army abandonedFort Caspar and moved its garrison into the new fort in August. As it was on the south side of the Platte, Fort Fetterman was excluded from the provisions of the 1868Treaty of Fort Laramie, which resulted in the US abandonment of all forts further to the north: fortsReno, Phil Kearny, andC.F. Smith). Thus, Fort Fetterman became the northernmost military post in easternWyoming. It was important to the protection of theBozeman Trail and other routes for settlers.
Given its remote location, the post was not considered a desirable station. Desertions by soldiers were frequent, and the winters long and hard. Supplies had to be brought in by wagon fromFort Laramie to the southeast or from Medicine Bow Station on the railroad. Soldiers had to carry water up the steep bluffs from the river or nearby creek. The soil proved to be unsuitable for sustaining gardens, so fresh vegetables were not available.
In 1876, during theGreat Sioux War with theLakota,Cheyenne, andArapaho tribes, the monotony of garrison duty at Fetterman was broken by a series of major military expeditions that set out from the fort. TheBig Horn Expedition, which included three of the post's four companies under the command of ColonelJoseph J. Reynolds, culminated in a defeat at theBattle of Powder River in March. The Yellowstone Expedition led by Brigadier GeneralGeorge Crook engaged in theBattle of Rosebud in June, and the Powder River Expedition under ColonelRanald S. Mackenzie destroyed a Cheyenne village in November during theDull Knife Fight. Fort Fetterman remained active until 1882, when it was abandoned by the Army as the Indian Wars had subsided.
A small community (Fetterman City) was started around the empty fort byCharles Henry King and others as an outfitting point for area ranchers and for wagon trains. When the town of Douglas was established eleven miles away in 1886, Fetterman City rapidly declined.
The old fort deteriorated from neglect. Today, the partially restored site is listed on theNational Register of Historic Places and is administered as an historic site by the State of Wyoming. Visitors can walk aninterpretive trail to view the ruins of the fort's buildings. An officers' quarters and anordnance warehouse have been restored and contain exhibits, artifacts and dioramas about the fort's history, Fetterman City and area Native Americans.
42°50′25″N105°28′47″W / 42.84028°N 105.47972°W /42.84028; -105.47972
