Fort Fetterman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Fort Fetterman was a wooden fort constructed in 1867 by the United States Army on the Great Plains frontier in the Dakota Territory approximately 11 miles northwest of present-day Douglas, Wyoming. It was located high on the bluffs on the south side of the North Platte River, and served as a major jumping-off point for the start of several major military expeditions against warring Native American tribes.
European-American civilization was advancing across the frontier along the line of the Union Pacific Railroad and the fort was needed as a major supply point for the army operating against the Indians. Completed in July 1867, the new military post was named "Fort Fetterman" in honor of Capt. William J. Fetterman, who was killed in a fight with Indians near Fort Phil Kearny in December 1866. With the completion of Fort Fetterman, Fort Caspar was abandoned and its garrison moved into the new fort in August. Being on the southside of the Platte, Fort Fetterman was excluded from the provisions of the 1868 Treaty of Fort Laramie, which resulted in the abandonment of all forts further to the north (Forts Reno, Phil Kearny, and C.F. Smith). Thus, it became the northernmost military post in eastern Wyoming, and important in protecting the Bozeman Trail and other routes for settlers.
With its remote location, the post was not considered as a prime place to be stationed. Desertions were frequent, and the winters long and hard. Supplies had to be brought in by wagon from Fort Laramie to the southeast or from Medicine Bow Station on the railroad, and water had to be carried up the steep bluffs from the river or nearby creek. The soil proved to be ineffective for sustaining gardens, so fresh vegetables were not available.
During the mid-1870s and onset of the Black Hills War with the Lakota, Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes, the monotony of camp life was broken by a series of major military expeditions, including Maj. Gen. George Crook's Powder River Expeditions and Col. Ranald S. Mackenzie's 1876 campaign against Dull Knife.
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 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 and the old fort deteriorated. Today, the partially restored site is administered by the State of Wyoming.
