GET INVOLVED
e-News Sign Up
Become a Member
SUBSCRIBE TODAY!
National Parks, our award-winning quarterly magazine, is an exclusive benefit of membership in NPCA.
LATEST NEWS
- Congress Debates Reopening National Parks Across the Country
October 2, 2013
- Press Telephone Briefing Today RE: Shutdown of National Parks Nationwide
October 1, 2013
- Government Shutdown Closes National Parks Nationwide
October 1, 2013
Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Center for the State of the Parks: Park Assessments
Published August 2004
In 1800, Thomas Jefferson predicted that it would take Americans "one hundred generations" to populate the land from the Atlantic to the Pacific coast. Instead, it took less than four generations for Americans to sweep across the continent. What began as a trickle of explorers and mountain men evolved into a torrent of emigrants following established routes across North America. Forts were established as trade centers and later as protection and supply posts for these westward bound Americans. The site that became known as Fort Laramie was established as a trading post called Fort William in 1834, ten years prior to the peak of westward migration, and in 1849 it became a military post. It was one of the major fur trading and military posts in the American West. The fort was closed in 1890, and during the early years of the Depression, hope for saving the fort dwindled. Hopes were rekindled in 1936 when National Park Service representatives visited the site. Impressed with what they saw, they expressed interest in preserving the site to Wyoming Governor Leslie Miller, who launched a successful effort to persuade the Wyoming legislature to purchase the land and deed it to the federal government. In 1938, President Franklin D. Roosevelt established Fort Laramie National Monument, and in 1960, the site was renamed Fort Laramie National Historic Site. The park's size has been increased twice since original establishment and now totals 832 acres. Today's visitors have the opportunity to learn about the history of the fort through a variety of interpretive programs. Several buildings, including Old Bedlam, the oldest building in Wyoming, have been restored to their historic appearance, helping visitors imagine what life at the fort was like in the mid-1800s. The State of the Parks program was launched in 2000 to assess the condition of natural and cultural resources in the National Park System. This report conveys the findings of a cultural resources and stewardship capacity assessment of Fort Laramie National Historic Site.
