Wednesday in Wyoming - March 11, 2026

 

When I first visited Fort Laramie (my favorite Wyoming fort), I was surprised that it didn't look like a Hollywood version of a western fort. The buildings weren't made of logs, and there was no stockade. I learned that that's because there were few trees in the area.

As you can see, Fort Caspar, a hundred or so miles from Fort Laramie, didn't suffer from a shortage of wood and looks more like the quintessential western fort.

As a bit of trivia, although the city of Casper is spelled with an "e", the fort is not. 

Wednesday in Wyoming - March 4, 2026

 

When you think of forts in Wyoming, I suspect you don't imagine garage camp cabins. I certainly didn't, but they turned out to be my favorite part of Fort Bridger.

Oh, the fort has the things you'd expect, including a stockaded area, but I was most intrigued by the cabins. As you might guess, they were constructed when travel by automobile became more common. I smiled at the fact that the cars were given shelter from the weather in the garages, but the cabins themselves didn't include what I would have preferred, namely indoor plumbing. 

You'll notice that there was electric lighting and a stove for warmth and cooking but no plumbing. No wonder they called it camping.