To end this extraordinary year, I decided to include a series of French postcards with wishes for both a merry Christmas and a happy new year. The postcards were a gift from a friend who knows I'm a Francophile.
Happy New Year to you and your loved ones! May 2021 be a healthier, happier year for all of us.
Merry Christmas!
I'm proud to say that I made both the bear and his suit and that he sits in the kitchen to make me smile every December.
A friend who knows how much I love carousels and that I contracted an incurable case of carousel fever during the International Year of the Carousel (2000) found this holiday-themed merry-go-round for me.
It's so cute that I keep it on display all year long. Ho, ho, ho!
We all want to feel welcome, don't we? That's why when my sister-in-law showed me this design, I knew it was one I had to turn into a needlepoint pillow.
Welcome!
The last stop on the mini-tour of eastern Laramie County was Burns, another of the small towns that make this part of Wyoming so interesting.
While there I saw someone doing a job I wouldn't want - climbing to the top of a water tower. Those men (there were two of them) are far braver than I.
Remember all the gas pumps in last week's post? There's more to Pine Bluffs than them, including this 30 feet high Our Lady of Peace statue.
Located right next to the highway, the statue is one of the first things westbound travelers on Interstate 80 see when they cross into Wyoming.
If you'd like more information, here's the link.
I chuckled when I reached the intersection and saw this scene in front of me. Where did I find it? Pine Bluffs, on the state line between Wyoming and Nebraska.
I was impressed with the stained woodwork and the curved doorway between the office and parlor of the Burt House. In case you were curious, the name comes from Lieutenant Colonel Andrew Burt, who was stationed at the fort twice.
I hope you enjoyed this month's peek into one of Wyoming's most important historic sites. It's well worth the trip.
Although I was fascinated by the whole fort, this photo intrigued me so much that I knew I had to write a story set here. Summer of Promise was the result.
So too is what has been called the
Burt House, named after Lt. Col. Andrew Burt, who served two tours of duty at
the fort.
During the fort’s final decade, boardwalks lined Officers’ Row. Houses were surrounded by picket fences, many yards had flower gardens, and women strolled along the boardwalks carrying parasols. There were even birdbaths. But, since this was Wyoming with its infamous winds, the birdbaths weren’t the typical basin-on-a-pedestal style one might find in an eastern garden. Instead, they were circular depressions in the ground, ringed by bricks or stones.
That era ended when the Army no
longer needed a large military presence in the area. In 1890 Fort Laramie was
decommissioned and its buildings sold at public auction. The fort might have
become nothing more than a memory, but a group of Wyoming residents was
determined that this part of American history not be lost. Thanks to their
efforts, the State of Wyoming acquired the fort in 1937, and in 1938 it became
part of the National Park System.
Many things have changed over the almost two centuries that a fort has existed on this site in eastern Wyoming, but what hasn’t changed is the beauty of the surrounding area and the feeling of history that surrounds visitors to the fort that welcomed so many emigrants.
Some went to California, hoping to
find a fortune in gold. Others were attracted by the promise of fertile land in
Oregon. Still others fled religious persecution as they pulled handcarts toward
the Great Salt Lake. Though their routes diverged soon after they reached what
is now Wyoming, virtually every wagon train stopped at Fort Laramie. It was
here that the pioneers rested their oxen, made necessary repairs to their
wagons, and replenished their supplies at the post trader’s store. For, while
crossing the plains had been arduous, the worst was yet to come. Mountainous
terrain, the fear of Indian attacks, the threat of early snow, and the
knowledge that there were few other places to purchase supplies made Fort
Laramie seem like an oasis on the journey west.
The fort that greeted travelers in the mid nineteenth century bore little resemblance to Hollywood’s idea of a western Army post. It lacked the wooden stockade and dilapidated wooden buildings that film makers have immortalized. In their place was a collection of buildings that might have reminded the pioneers of a New England town, but it wasn’t always so.
The first fort on the location, a trading post named Fort William, was relatively small and had a wooden palisade. While Hollywood might have liked it, it was destined for a very short life. When another fort was built nearby and threatened its status as a major fur trading post, Fort William was replaced by a new fort constructed on the same location. Fort John, as the new post was named, was made of adobe, was considerably larger than Fort William, and was able to compete with the nearby fort.
When the fur trade declined, Fort William’s existence might have been in jeopardy, but it gained a new lease on life as the first of the emigrant trains came through. Now, instead of serving as a center for trading buffalo hides, it became a major supply point for the wagon trains.
One of the most prominent landmarks
was Old Bedlam, the two-story frame building that’s still in existence and that
has the distinction of being the oldest military structure in Wyoming. Though
its use changed several times, including serving as the post headquarters for a
few years, it retained the nickname it gained during the early years of its
existence when it served as bachelor officers’ housing. One can only guess what
those officers did to warrant that name.
Close by Old Bedlam was the post trader’s store, more commonly referred to as the sutler’s store. It was here that travelers could find everything from teakettles to blankets to foodstuffs to basic medical supplies. The sutler’s store also housed the post office, an important stop for travelers starved for news from home.
My first visit there was an eye-opener. Instead of the quintessential western fort with a stockade and log cabin-style buildings, I found what could have been a well-established eastern town with stylish homes surrounding the parade ground.
It was so different and so intriguing that I knew one visit wouldn't be enough. And it wasn't!
I continue to be in awe of all that immigrants endured in their quest for a new and better life. They had strength, determination, and courage.
I hope you've enjoyed this month's insights into 19th century train travel. Next month we'll explore something different. What it will be is still to be determined.
But not everyone traveled this well. Next week we'll explore the other end of the spectrum.
The Union Pacific agreed to construct a new, decidedly more impressive one.
