USA > Wyoming > The history of Wyoming from the earliest known discoveries > Part 28
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"Fort Laramie is one of the posts established by the American Fur Company, who well-nigh monopolize the trade of this whole region. Here their officials rule with absolute sway; the arm of the United States has little force, for when we were there, the extreme outposts of her troops were about seven hundred miles to the eastward."
Messrs. Parkman and Shaw remained in Wyoming sev- eral months, making Fort Laramie their headquarters off and on as it suited their convenience. They hunted buffalo and other game with the Indians and secured all they were in search of, health, experience and adventure. They met many traders and trappers, and among others three grand- sons of Daniel Boone. Among the items of interest Park- man mentions in connection with Fort Laramie, is the price of horseshoeing, which he says was $3 per shoe. At the time of Parkman's visit to Laramie, the road was lined the entire season with emigrants bound for Oregon, and some few for California.
There were two notable parties that passed through Fort Laramie that year. One was headed by J. Quinn Thorton, a lawyer of ability from Quincy, Illinois, bound for Oregon. The other party was in charge of George and Jacob Donner, enroute for California. The Donners were from Springfield, Illinois. The two trains traveled together up the North Platte, along the Sweetwater, across South Pass, and followed the now fairly worn highway over Green River, just beyond which those going to California passed to the left, going by way of the Fort Bridger route. The Ore-
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gon party suffered great hardship and did not reach their destination until the 29th of November. Mr. Thornton was the following year appointed a judge of the Supreme Court of Oregon, and from the time of his arrival in that coun. try had much to do with public affairs. The train that went to California had the saddest experience of any like number of individuals who have ever crossed the mountains. Noth- ing unusual occurred until they reached the vicinity of Salt Lake. They entered the valley and passed around the southern end of the lake. Here one of their number died. In crossing the Salt Lake Desert thirty-six of their cattle perished and four of their wagons had to be abandoned. The Indians stole and killed much of their stock that sur- vived the desert, and their dangers and hardships kept in- creasing as they advanced. And as their trials and suf- ferings increased they grew despondent and irritable and desperate. Quarrels frequently broke out and one man was killed. Although the killing was done in self-defense, frieds of the dead man threatened to hang the slayer, and he had to leave the company and alone and on foot make his way through the deserts. One man became sick and exhausted and the owner of the wagon in which he rode put him out and left him by the roadside to die, where the wolves fought over and devoured his body. Another was shot accidentally and died from the wound, and one man and his wife were reduced to the extremity of going on foot and carrying their two small children.
On the 31st of October they reached an elevation of near 10,000 feet in the Sierra Nevada Mountains and en- camped in snow almost ten feet deep. Here their cattle soon all perished, and their bodies became lost in the deep bed of snow. For their protection they built log cabins and the heavy snowfalls soon piled up around these habita- tions to such a depth that they had to enter them through the roofs. Their provisions ran out and they fed upon the dead bodies of such of the cattle as they could find in the snow, and later on upon the hides of those they had killed. On the 16th of December a party of ten men and five women
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set out upon snow shoes to make their way into the Sacra- mento valley settlements to carry the news that a party of immigrants was starving in the mountains. Of this party only two men and the five women reached the settlements. Three of the men lost their reason, two of whom died, and the third, and for the express purpose of eating their flesh, shot two Indians who were with the party. The survivors ate their moccasins, crisped their boots and shoes at their camp fires and ate of them, and-horrible to relate-ate also of the flesh of several of the white men who had died. At last one of the men, while traveling ahead and alone, came upon some Indians, with whose assistance the party reached a settlement, and soon the news was sent to every settle- ment in the valley. Expeditions of relief were sent out im- mediately, but when the camp in the mountains was reached many were dead, the living were skeletons, barely able to move, and some were supporting life by feeding upon the dead. Their sufferings had made them childish, had driven them into insanity, and they indulged in the most revolting forms of cannibalism without compunction. Out of eighty persons who here went into camp on the 31st of October, only forty-four reached California alive, the last ones not until on the 25th of April. General Kearney, on his way east in the following June, passed the scene of this grew- some mountain camp and had the mummied remains of the dead buried and the cabins burned.
Such were the sufferings of some of those who passed through Wyoming in early years. Hardships were the lot of all, and dangers of every sort beset the traveler who started out on that long journey across the continent. In those days the trading post known as Fort Laramie was the one bright spot to be encountered in the mountain country. Notwithstanding the tales of starvation which were con- stantly being carried back to the states, the course of em- pire continued to take its way westward. Men, women and children in trains; first numbering hundreds, then thou- sands, followed the dusty, sandy road up the Platte River and passed the noted trading post and then on to the west,
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crossing the mountains at South Pass and disappearing on the western borders of Wyoming. When this travel began to assume large proportions, trading posts were established at convenient points along the route, and soon the old order of things passed away. The fur-bearing animals had nearly all been destroyed, and had it not been for the demand in the east for buffalo robes, the Indian would have lacked the wherewith to purchase his beads, vermilion and scarlet blankets. The trader could not live on this business alone, and fortunate it was for him that the exodus set in across the mountains and furnished him with customers for his merchandise.
I have now carried the history of Fort Laramie down to the year 1846, and this noted post has become the capital of a large extent of territory. People going to Oregon, Cali- fornia or Utah sojourned for a day or a week at this famous trading post. The events which happen at Fort Laramie are made known months afterwards on the Atlantic and the Pacific coasts, but it is destined to a great change. Fremont has recommended that a line of military posts be erected through the wilderness for the protection of emigrant travel, and Fort Laramie is soon to be selected as one of the government posts.
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CHAPTER XXIV.
HISTORY OF FORT LARAMIE-[CONTINUED. ]
PURCHASE OF FORT LARAMIE BY UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT-THE PRICE PAID-THE FIRST GARRISON-REINFORCEMENTS-REBUILDING OF THE FORT-SCURVY ATTACKS THE SOLDIERS-CHOLERA AT SCOTT'S BLUFFS-CAPTAIN KETCHUM RELIEVES MAJOR SANDERSON AS COM- MANDER-AMERICAN FUR COMPANY RETIRES DOWN THE RIVER TO SCOTT'S BLUFFS-EMIGRANT TRAINS-INDIANS FOR THE MOST PART PEACEABLE-VALUABLE SERVICES OF AMERICAN FUR COMPANY TO EMIGRANTS-TREATY OF 1851.
In accordance with Fremont's recommendation as men- tioned in the last chapter, Congress passed an act on May 19, 1846, making an appropriation of $3,000 for each post es- tablished on the Oregon road, and added $2,000 to pay the Indians for the land on which each of these posts might be located. Before anything could be done in regard to estab- lishing such posts, the Mexican war broke out and the army having other business to attend to, the matter remained in abeyance for nearly three years. The first official order from the War Department relating to Fort Laramie is dated at Washington, March 30, 1849. From General Order No. 19, I make the following extract:
"To carry out the provisions of the 6th section of the Act of May 19, 1846, relative to establishing military posts on the Oregon route, and to afford protection to the nu- merous emigrants to that country and California, the first station has already been established, under instructions of the Secretary of War of June 1, 1847, on the Platte River, near Grand Island, and is known as Fort Kearney. The garrison of this post will be one company First Dragoons and two companies Sixth Infantry, to be designated by the commander of the Department.
"Under the same instructions of the Secretary of War, it now becomes necessary to establish the second station at or near Fort Laramie, a trading station belonging to the American Fur Company. The garrison of this post will be
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two companies of the Regiment of Mounted Riflemen to be halted on the route, and one company Sixth Infantry.
"In the further fulfillment of the requirements of the Act of May 19, 1846, the march of the Rifle Regiment to Oregon during the ensuing season is deemed the proper oc- casion for establishing a third post on the route to and through the territory. From the best information on the subject, it is supposed the most eligible point for this third station in the northwest chain of posts may be found some- where on Bear River or its tributaries, near enough to the settlements in the vicinity of Salt Lake to obtain with facil- ity such supplies of subsistence and forage as they may af- ford. The trading establishment at Fort Hall, on the upper waters of the Columbia River, has also been considered an advantageous position. The instructions to Brevet Major General Twiggs, commanding the Sixth Military Depart- ment, charge that officer with giving the necessary direc- tions upon the subject. By order:
"R. JONES, Adjt. Genl."
In connection with the above, I find the following from the commander of the Sixth Military Department at St. Louis, dated April 6, 1849:
"Recent instructions from the War Department make it necessary that supplies for one year shall be forwarded for two military posts to be established on the route to Ore- gon-one at or near Fort Laramie, and the other in the vi- cinity of Fort Hall. The garrison at Fort Laramie will con- sist of two companies of Mounted Riflemen and one com- pany of Infantry. It will be supplied with provisions for one year, and the full ration of forage (grain) for six months. The post near Fort Hall will be garrisoned by two compa- nies of Mounted Riflemen and will, also, be supplied with provisions for one year and forage for six months. Besides the above, each post will be furnished with such quarter- master's stores as may be expected to be necessary in the establishment of the posts. The supplies for the post near Fort Hall must be ready to move from Fort Leavenworth with the Rifle Regiment on the 15th of May; the departure of those for Fort Laramie may be delayed until the 1st of June. The chiefs of the quartermaster's and commissary's departments at these headquarters will take the necessary steps for the fulfillment of this order. It is to be understood that these supplies are exclusive of those that the troops will require during the march. They may, at the discre-
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tion of the Chief of the Quartermaster's Department, be forwarded either by contract or by government transporta- tion; and in the latter case the teamsters will be hired by the Department. The train will have orders to return with- out delay. By order of Brevet Major General Twiggs.
"D. C. DUELL, Asst. Adjt. Gen."
Following this was a second order, more specific, as it not only named the companies which were to be stationed at the different posts, but also named the commanders and the date upon which the troops would march. This supple- mental order was dated April 9th. It is herewith appended.
"In connection with the movement of the Rifle Regi- ment, the further duty of directing the establishment of certain military posts on the route to Oregon, having, by late instructions from the Adjutant General's office, been devolved on the Commanding General of the Department, the following orders are published in relation thereto. In whatever they may conflict with these, all previous orders relative to the march of the Rifle Regiment are annulled.
"I. There will be a post established at or near Fort Laramie. Its garrison will consist of Companies A and E, Mounted Riflemen, and Company G, Sixth Infantry, under the command of Major W. F. Sanderson, Mounted Riflemen. "A post will, also, be established either in the vicinity of Fort Hall, or Bear River, to be garrisoned by Companies G and B, Mounted Riflemen, under the command of the senior Captain, Brevet Major J. S. Simonson.
"The officers named above to command these posts, will immediately take the necessary measures for moving to and establishing their commands at their respective sta- tions, in conformity with these orders and the special in- structions that will be given them.
"II. The troops to garrison the post near Fort Hall will start from Fort Leavenworth on the 1st of May (Company B, starting from Fort Leavenworth, will be joined by Com- pany G at Fort Kearney) taking with them provisions for three months, such quartermaster's stores( tools and build- ing materials) as will be required in the construction of their post, and, if necessary, forage for their animals until the grass will sustain them.
"All empty wagons will be left at Fort Kearney in pass- ing, and in order that the command may have time to put itself under shelter at its station before winter, its march
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will be hastened as much as may be consistent with the preservation of the efficiency of the troops and train. It will halt at Bear River, and from there a careful reconnoissance will be made of the locations which will be made in special instructions to the commanding officer, and from which a site for the post will be selected. The position being deter- mined upon, the command will be immediately and actively employed in the construction of the post; the first object be- ing to shelter the troops against the coming winter. The permanent arrangement of the post, whether as it regards quarters or defensive works, must depend upon the instruc- tions of the proper departments to the officers charged with the construction.
"The year's supply of provisions and forage already ordered for this post will leave Fort Leavenworth with the remaining portion of the Rifle Regiment between the 1st and 20th of May; and within those limits, Colonel Loring may use his discretion as to the time and order of starting his train, and those companies of his regiment not detailed for the two new posts.
"III. Major Sanderson will leave Fort Leavenworth by the 10th of May with Company E, Mounted Riflemen, (rationed for two months) and such quartermaster's stores (tools, etc.) as may be necessary until the arrival of the re- mainder of his command, and will proceed to locate a post in the vicinity of Fort Laramie, agreeably to the special in- structions that will be given him. The remainder of the garrison for this post (Companies A, Mounted Riflemen, and G, Sixth Infantry) will follow on the 1st of June, with the year's supplies already ordered for their post. The trains carrying supplies to the post near Fort Hall, and that in the vicinity of Fort Laramie, will immediately return to Fort Leavenworth.
"IV. Assistant Surgeon C. H. Smith is assigned to duty with the troops for Fort Laramie, and Assistant Sur- geon William F. Edgar with those of Fort Hall. They will immediately join those troops and report to their command- ing officers, respectively."
The above are of value in the history of Wyoming; therefore I have given them in full. To make the early offi- cial record of Fort Laramie complete, I copy the first report sent to the Secretary of War from the newly established post. It is dated at Fort Laramie, June 27, 1849, and signed W. F. Sanderson, Major commanding post.
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"I have the honor to inform you that I arrived at this fort on the morning of the 16th instant, nothing having oc- curred on our way to interrupt our march; since that time I have, accompanied by Lieutenant Woodbury of the Engi- neers' Department, made a thorough reconnoissance of the country in the neighborhood of this place, having passed up the ridge or mountain road as far as the Boisie (or Big Timber Creek) and returning by the river road.
"This was found to be the most eligible for a military post, and was purchased at my request on the 26th inst., by Lieutenant Woodbury, at a cost of four thousand dollars, from Mr. Bruce Husband, agent of the American Fur Com- pany, who was duly authorized to dispose of the same for that amount.
"Pine timber, suitable for all building purposes, is found in abundance within twelve miles, on the north side of the Platte.
"The best of limestone is also found at about the same distance, on the south side of the same river.
"The Laramie is a rapid and beautiful stream, and will furnish abundance of good water for the command.
"Good, dry wood is found in abundance and easily to be obtained.
"There is plenty of grass for making hay within con- venient distance of the post.
"The entire command (excepting eight men for stable police) are already employed in cutting and hauling timber, burning lime and coal, cutting and making hay; the saw mill will soon be in active operation; everything is being pushed forward as rapidly as circumstances will permit."
In connection with this report appears another com- munication from Major Sanderson, dated Fort Laramie, December 1, 1849. It is addressed to the Adjutant General of the army and reads as follows:
"In compliance with your letter of instructions of the 11th of September, 1849, requiring more definite informa- tion concerning the purchase of this fort, I have the honor to report that the sum of four thousand dollars was paid to the agent of the American Fur Company for the buildings and improvements. There was no ground included in this purchase. The four thousand dollars was paid by Lieuten- ant Woodbury of the Engineers Department, 'who is charged with the construction of this post,' out of the amount appropriated by the Act of Congress, August 14th,
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1848. This section of country from Horse Shoe Creek, forty- three miles above this post, to the Forks of the Platte, is claimed by the Sioux, the Arapahoes and the Cheyenne Indians. Each of these tribes is divided into several bands and are scattered over the country from the Kansas to the Missouri. The chiefs of the several bands are to assemble at this post in the spring, at which time it is proposed to pur- chase the ground."
The command which constituted the first garrison of Laramie was composed of fifty-eight men and five officers. The names of the latter were as follows: Major W. F. San- derson, Mounted Rifles, commanding post; Major S. P. Moore, Surgeon; Captain Thomas Duncan, Mounted Rifles, commanding company; First Lieutenant Daniel P. Wood- bury, Engineer Corps; First Lieutenant Thomas G. Rhett, Mounted Rifles, Post Adjutant and Quartermaster.
Company C of the Regiment of Mounted Rifles joined the post on the 26th of July, 1849, under the command of Captain Benjamin S. Roberts, two officers and sixty men. Company G of the Sixth Infantry joined the post on the 12th of August, 1849, under the command of Second Lieutenant Levi C. Bootes, two officers and fifty-three men.
In the summer of the same year, the cholera was on the plains, but came no nearer to the post than Scott's Bluffs, fifty miles below, on the Platte River. The emigrants were the persons chiefly attacked by it, and more particularly the men. Many trains passed through the post conducted only by women and children, the men being dead. In the winter of this year, the scurvy was prevalent among the troops at the post. About one-fifth of all the men were on crutches. Wild onions and water cresses were issued in large quanti- ties by the commanding officer, Indians having been em- ployed to gather them; and in the following spring many of the diseased soldiers were transferred to the general hospi- tal at Leavenworth, Kansas.
During the fall of 1849 a bridge was constructed across the Laramie River not far from the fort. The enterprise was by private parties, a sort of stock company which col- lected toll from emigrants. The bridge went out in the June
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rise in the summer of 1853. A ferry boat was at once built to take the place of the bridge, and this was managed by a rope. The commander at the fort detailed men to operate this ferry, who collected toll from all except those in the em- ploy of the government, but as high water did not last more than sixty or ninety days each season, it was only those who passed west during that time who were obliged to pay toll. It has been suggested that army officers of that early date were silent partners in the bridge and ferry, but if so there is no record to prove it.
Major Sanderson was relieved in October, 1850, by Cap- tain William S. Ketchum, Sixth Infantry, who retained the command until the 19th of July, 1852, when he was suc- ceeded by First Lieutenant Richard B. Garnett, Sixth In- fantry; the Mounted Rifles having left the post in the sum- mer of 1850, the duties of the garrison were performed by Company G of the Sixth Infantry for the following year. Major Sanderson died in 1853.
Captain Ketchum is spoken of by old timers in Wyo- ming as a man who did not regard the position of com- mander at Fort Laramie as at all exalted or desirable. He longed to get back to civilization. Some say he had a quar- relsome disposition and was always in hot water. He did his duty, but was not disposed to make things pleasant for his associates or chance visitors at the fort. He was happy when relieved, and the employes at the post were not sorry.
The Rev. Richard Vaux was chaplain and schoolmaster at the fort from 1850 to 1861. This good man left pleasant memories at Fort Laramie and will never be forgotten by the boys and girls who were under his instruction. He was the associate of the officers, the friend of the enlisted men, and exerted an influence for good on all occasions. He nursed the sick, buried the dead and cheered the emigrants who passed through the country.
At the time of the purchase of Fort Laramie by the government, it was expected that the American Fur Com- pany would retire from the country ; in fact, Bruce Husband gave that as the reason of the company's desire to sell. It
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was quite a surprise, therefore, when this representative of the fur monopoly announced that he would build another trading post farther down the river and that already the locality was selected. This was at Scott's Bluffs. The buildings were at once constructed, and the stores, peltries and robes of the company at Laramie were moved to that point. Bruce Husband was an able trader and had man- aged the affairs of his company in a manner that reflected credit on himself. He was popular with the Indian tribes and pursued a policy with them that insured peace and pros- perity. It turned out to be a fortunate thing for emigrants that this company continued to do business in the country, as its representative used his influence to prevent the Indi- ans from stealing the stock of those going to Utah, Oregon and California, and in a number of instances it came to the knowledge of the commanders at Fort Laramie that the American Fur Company had saved many white men from being killed. When Bruce Husband retired from the post at Scott's Bluffs, Fontenelle took his place, and his adminis- tration proved equally as satisfactory. The Indians were well acquainted with this famous partisan, he having been a familiar figure in the mountains for more than twenty years, and the red men had great respect for him because he would fight if driven, to it, and this gave him great influ- ence over the tribes. Fontenelle enjoyed the confidence of army officers and was well thought of by all who came in contact with him. It seemed proper that this distinguished leader, who had for so many years lived a life of adventure in the mountains, should be chosen by his company to fill a position in which he was no longer called upon to suffer the hardships by which he had won a name for himself and wealth for those whom he served. He was the last repre- sentative of the American Fur Company in this section of country.
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