Fort Laramie

We knew it was going to be another hot day so we got an early start and arrived at our destination about 9:30.

We checked into the visitor's center, watched the introductory film, rented the audio tour recordings and took off to tour the fort.

The first place we went was the enlisted men's quarters.

This is the dining hall

and the bunkhouse.  There was a large plexiglass wall between the rooms and us.  You could see in just fine, you just couldn't go in.  We could not believe the details in all of the rooms.

Next, was the enlisted men's bar with even a pool table.

Three different buildings had historical guides.  In this one was the bartender.  We even tried birch beer and sarsaparilla both forms of root beer.

The fort was originally built for fur trading and then purchased by the United States to protect settlers as they moved westward on the Oregon Trail.

The fort became a small town built around the parade ground in the center.

Next, we went into the general store.  It was set up the way it would look in the 1860's with a storekeeper that could answer any question we asked.  I was amazed at how much inventory was carried in the store.  When settlers reached Fort Laramie, they were only 1/3 of the way to their destination.  This was a place they could replenish their supplies.

This was one of the officer's house.

It was really pretty nice inside.  This was during the Victorian Era, so everything was decorated accordingly.

This was the unmarried officer's quarters

and the Guardhouse.

We spent about 2 1/2 hours here looking at all the building and talking with the guides.  This was one of the best reconstructions we have seen.  The fort was extremely important and it was a great stop to see it and learn more about its history.