Old Bedlam and other buildings at Fort Laramie National Historical Site. Fort Laramie, Wyoming. A Dianne Lima photo.
There’s not much of the true “West” still around. Most of it has been paved over, fenced in, or discarded as obsolete junk. Those small pieces that still remain are truly treasures from the past that give visitors a glimpse into the challenges and potential that made the “West” the icon that it is. That’s why I knew I’d be visiting Fort Laramie. I needed to see one of the few places left that still possessed some of the characteristics of the “Old West.” It took some effort to get there, and it wasn’t much to look at initially. But, visiting the fort turned out to be as rewarding and informative as I’d hoped it would be.
As I mentioned on the August 14th page, it was a 3 hour drive from Denver to Fort Laramie. While the trip’s length made the journey tedious, the dry grassland scenery along the way cemented the tediousness. Staring at mile after mile of grassland can get one a little stir crazy after a while. But, I tried to imagine that I was seeing the same sights that the pioneers saw as they migrated west. When I realized that I was traveling the same terrain in hours that they took days to traverse, the drive didn’t seem as tedious.
Much as it must have seemed in its heyday, Fort Laramie still rises out of the grassland like a mirage in the middle of nowhere. No urban encroachment has swallowed the fort. In fact, the nearest town is three miles away and on the other side of a river. Thus, Fort Laramie still maintains the sense of being civilization’s lone outpost.
We drove up to the park’s gate to pay the $3/person admission fee. After we paid the fee, the ranger at the gate said, “You’re just in time. A free guided tour of the fort starts at 2 p.m. Just meet the group in front of the Calvary Building.” This sounded like a wonderful opportunity to learn more about the fort. But, we only had ten minutes to park our car and get to the Calvary Building. Fortunately, the park’s parking lot is not far from the Calvary Building. We parked the car, looked at a couple of monuments, and walked over to the Calvary Building.
We found a group of five people sitting on a grandstand in front of the building. After we joined the group in the grandstand, a young “soldier” came up to us. He said his name was “Private Martin Gilmore of Company G, 18th Calvary” and that he’d be our guide for the tour. In real life, “Private” Gilmore was a temporary Ranger at the park. But, he certainly looked the part of a private in the 1870’s United States Army. He was wearing a blue uniform, consisting of wool pants and a wool jacket. This attire may have been appropriate for the spring or fall, but we were there in the middle of summer. The temperature was around 90 degrees, with about 50% humidity. Consequently, “Private” Gilmore was sweating profusely. I silently hoped that we wouldn’t have to resuscitate him before the tour was over.
“Private” Gilmore told the group that he would be guiding us to various buildings within the fort. He said the tour would take about 2 hours, and that we were free to come and go as we pleased. Dianne said, “I don’t want to tie up two hours. Let’s just find a convenient spot and wander away.” I agreed with her approach.
We lost two members of our group by the time we went inside the Calvary Building. “Private” Gilmore showed the barracks to the remaining five members of the group and gave quite a bit of background on living conditions for cavalry members. One member of our group was so fascinated by this discussion (my theory only) that he stayed behind in the Calvary Building while the rest of us moved along to the Bakery. Here again, “Private” Gilmore explained the food preparation processes that existed in the 1870s, when the bakery was filling the food needs for the fort (believe me, the processes and the food are much better now). The four members in the tour group and “Private” Gilmore left that building and began walking toward the Old Guardhouse. Along the way, “Private” Gilmore pointed out the New Guardhouse and mentioned there were some weapon displays in that building. That sent the other two members of our tour group off to the New Guardhouse. So, it was just me and Dianne with “Private” Gilmore. “Private” Gilmore hadn’t done anything to deserve people deserting him during the tour. In fact, he was doing an excellent job. But, it seemed like most of the group was turned off by the tour’s length and the heat. When Diann noticed that we were the only members of the group left, she whispered to me, “Maybe we should go also.” I answered her, “We can’t leave now. He’s going to think he’s a lousy guide and that no one wanted to hear him. We’re going to have to stick it out for the rest of the tour.” In retrospect, “Private” Gilmore might have preferred that we left, so that he could have gotten out of the heat and possibly out of that uniform. But, I chose to believe that we would hurt his feelings by leaving, and thus remained with him.
It turned out to be a fantastic decision. “Private” Gilmore dropped the standard tour speech and turned the excursion into a more personalized, (and in many ways) more informative tour. He took the time to point out little details in each of the buildings, and give good anecdotes about the people who inhabited them. By the end of our hour and a half tour, we felt we had a great understanding of the importance and the character of this Old West icon. Both Dianne and I were very glad that we had not left the tour. So, consider this a piece of advice when touring…don’t get impatient and bail on a tour because you never know what interesting things you might learn if you just wait it out.
Our tour ended in the Post Trader’s Store. Several people were already inside the store when we arrived. Seeing the crowd, “Private” Gilmore slipped back into the tour speech. We (along with our newly reconstituted group) listened attentively. After he finished, we spent a few minutes thanking him profusely for the great tour. We then headed off to the Visitor’s Center. In our walk across the fort, I noticed the layout of the complex. It wasn’t a traditional fort with buildings within walls. Instead, Fort Laramie consisted of several buildings build around two very large courtyards. In a sense, one could say that the buildings made up the fort’s “walls.” But, that would not be entirely accurate, because the buildings were not close enough to form a solid barrier. Still, they were close enough to give a general impression of fortress walls. Breaking up this illusion were several ruined structures around the complex. I had asked “Private” Gilmore during our tour if these ruins were going to be reconstructed. He told me that there were no plans at the current time to rebuild these structures. While I recognize that only so much can be done with limited funding, I think that is a shame. Complete reconstruction would only enhance the fort’s ambience. Since that goal doesn’t currently seem to be achievable, I simply enjoyed the fort’s buildings that were intact.
We made it to the Visitor’s Center and looked around at the variety of books on the Old West. After spending a few minutes and a few dollars in the center, we walked back across the grounds to some of the buildings in order to take some pictures. We got pictures of ourselves in front of the Calvary Building and “Old Bedlam”, which is the oldest building in Wyoming. “Old Bedlam” was the fort’s bachelor’s quarters. Once one knows that piece of information, it doesn’t take much imagination to realize how this building got its nickname.
We thought we’d cap our visit with a sarsaparilla at the bar in the Post Trader’s Store. But, another tour group had taken up residence at the bar. Not feeling a strong urge to stand in line, we went back to our car. While it was a bit disappointing not to be able to partake in this bit of nostalgia, it did nothing to diminish our experience at Fort Laramie. I don’t know if it was the outstanding guided tour or the isolated location, but I felt that my time at Fort Laramie truly imparted to me a feeling of what this part of the Old West must have been like over 100 years ago. For that reason, I have to recommend that a visit to Fort Laramie is worth the detour for anyone traveling in eastern Wyoming.
Fort Laramie National Historical Site is located about 13 miles east of Guernsey, Wyoming. It is open from 8 a.m. to dusk daily. The Visitor’s Center is open from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. As mentioned previously, the admission fee is $3/person.
Additional Pictures of Ft. Laramie (ML = Mike Lima photo, DL = Dianne Lima photo):
1) Fort Laramie Sign (DL)
2) Old Calvary Building (ML)
3) Old Calvary Building and Cannon (DL)
4) "Private" Martin Gilmore in the Post Trader's Store.
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