Built in 1962 as a Minuteman 1 site, Quebec #1 was re-purposed for the Peacekeeper Missile in 1986 and was used until 2005. Twenty-five miles north of Cheyenne, this facility will eventually be the only one of its kind left in the world, which is why Wyoming State Parks, Historic Sites & Trails is seeking to bring the facility into…
You can see remnants of the existence of this New Mexican community today in Guernsey. Right next to the Oregon Trail, you’ll see the area where the workers created a home, where they worked the land and became a part of the cultural landscape. This piece of land and history is a reminder of their participation in creating what we know of today as Fort Laramie.
One profile was not enough to talk about the presence of the Buffalo Soldiers or the 9th Cavalry on F.E. Warren. This is the second part to a profile that was written last year, expanding on other parts of base that are connected with the regiments history.
There’s so much to see in Green River, if you decide to drive the Lincoln Highway make sure to check out the historic sites in the city of Green River. We are at the end of the highway and the end of the Greg’s journey, this week will be about Fort Bridger. But first we would like to thank Greg Rasanen for allowing us to share his journey across the Lincoln Highway and the history of all the historic places found along the I-80 corridor. If you want to check out Greg Rasanen’s Blog, click here. Also, if you have any stories of traveling through Wyoming and your experience at different historic places and spaces please feel free to reach out to us, we’re always looking for people’s experience. But back to the Lincoln Highway, last stop, Fort Bridger.
Last week’s stop on Greg’s Lincoln Highway Adventure was the Ames Monument. Last summer we celebrated the site becoming a National Historic Landmark, making it Wyoming’s twenty-sixth National Historic Landmark! This week we leave Albany county and head to Fort Steele.
Old Bedlam was built in 1849, making it the oldest standing military building in Wyoming. Fort Laramie was established when the military came to the state to protect emigrants traveling on the Mormon, Oregon, and the Overland trail.
On July 4, 1867, the Union Pacific railroad established its headquarters in the area that would later become Cheyenne. The U.S. Cavalry followed them weeks later to establish Fort D.A. Russell. There wouldn’t be a high concentration of Buffalo Soldiers on the base until 1902 after the Philippine Insurrection.
Officially closed on February 1, 1946, the Douglas, Wyoming prisoner of war camp that housed Italian and German P.O.W.’s during WWII represents an interesting chapter in the history of our state.
Fort McKinney, located about two miles west of Buffalo, Wyoming, was home to at least four companies of Buffalo Soldiers, all members of the Black Ninth Cavalry, making it a significant site in Western African American history.
Historic preservation is always an ongoing process – it is rarely finished, and is often a community effort. Preservation at Heart Mountain wouldn’t be possible without a community of volunteers and supporters who see the value in saving such a troubling place. Their hard work will keep Heart Mountain available for people of the next generation. Read Part III of our Heart Mountain profile to learn about long term preservation at the site and how to get involved.
How do you preserve something when there is nothing left to preserve? The story of preservation at Heart Mountain shows that there may always be something to preserve – you just have to go find it and bring it back.
Historic preservation isn’t always about saving the prettiest buildings or the sites of triumph of the human spirit. Historic preservation is at its core about preserving sites that are important. Important sites can include both the triumphant and the embarrassing moments from our history. They all provide us with insight and direction about who we are, where we came from, and how we can create a more equitable future.
Fort Bernard was founded in 1845 outside of Fort Laramie, and was the site of a major conflict between settlers, the military, and the Lakota Sioux. The Western History Center is excavating the site and is looking for help building a fence and controlling weeds.
Fort Bridger in southwestern Wyoming dates back to 1843 when Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez established an emigrant supply stop along the Oregon Trail at the Black’s Fork of the Green River
Built in 1962 as a Minuteman 1 site, Quebec #1 was re-purposed for the Peacekeeper Missile in 1986 and was used until 2005. Twenty-five miles north of Cheyenne, this facility will eventually be the only one of its kind left in the world.