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. 

Wednesday in Wyoming - May 5, 2021

 

Continuing our discussion of Wyoming's museums ... 

If you're ever in western Wyoming, I highly recommend a stop at Fort Bridger. The collection of historic buildings which includes some bright orange and black garage camp cabins, is well worth the stop. And the museum itself is filled with fascinating displays.

In case you were wondering what garage camp cabins are, they're motel units with attached garages, making the early years of travel by automobile more pleasant ... at least for the cars. While the cabins had electricity, there was no running water.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 24, 2019

The Fort Bridger museum has more peaceful exhibits than the weapon I highlighted in last week's Wednesday in Wyoming post. This one shows a personal library as well as a nineteenth century wedding gown.

You'll note that the gown is not white, since not everyone followed the tradition Queen Victoria began for white weddings. Instead, women chose dresses they could wear again after the wedding. Practicality triumphed.

I wonder how many of the other items you have in your home. I have at least as many books as this library boasts, but that's where the similarity ends.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 17, 2019

This week we're heading back inside the museum at Fort Bridger for a look at one of the more unusual weapons I've encountered, the Hotchkiss Mountain Gun. This replacement for the howitzer requires two mules to carry it and its accessories and was used by the Army beginning in 1877 through World War I.

It's most famous for being used in the Battle of Wounded Knee in 1890 - a sad reminder of the high price of western expansion.

If you'd like to know more, here's a link to Wikipedia. Please note that the Hotchkiss in the picture is the 1.65 inch model, not the revolving cannon.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 10, 2019

Do you know what all these items are called? I don't, but I can tell you that they're part of the blacksmith's shop in the oldest section of Fort Bridger, Jim Bridger's trading post.

When I first heard the term "trading post," I expected a place for travelers to buy needed supplies, but as you can see from the presence of a blacksmith, travelers needed more than simply food, clothing, or ammunition. They needed to have their wagons repaired, and for that they often needed a blacksmith.

Bridger wisely gave them what they needed.

Wednesday in Wyoming - April 3, 2019

Earlier this year, I shared some pictures from Fort Bridger and mentioned that the museum, although small, is fascinating. While you might expect it to depict life at Fort Bridger - and it does - it also highlights aspects of the pioneers' journey.

This exhibit shows one of the most unfortunate aspects of travel along the Oregon Trail: death. The causes were varied, but in this case, there's no question of how the pioneer died.

I was struck by the fact that someone left a warning for others and wonder if that would happen today.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 30, 2019

One of the many attractions at Fort Bridger is its museum. As you might expect, the museum has exhibits from the various eras in the fort's history and that of the surrounding area.

This one, which shows the most elaborate marriage certificate I've ever seen, is part of a room depicting life in the late nineteenth century.

Is your wedding certificate that fancy? Mine certainly is not.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 23, 2019

Remember the garage camp cabins I featured last week? Here's what the interior of one looked like. As you can see, it has some of the amenities we'd expect - a stove for heat, an electric bulb for light, a table and chairs for eating, and beds for sleeping.

What's missing? Indoor plumbing. There was a water pump not too far away, and what some called "the necessary" was located behind the cabins. The necessary, I'm sure you can guess, was an outhouse. This was, after all, camping.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 16, 2019

I suspect that when most people think about Fort Bridger, they envision the nineteenth century trading post and then the army fort. How many know that it was a stop along the Lincoln Highway in the twentieth century?

When automobile travel became popular and the Lincoln Highway (now US route 30) was completed, tourists wanted a place to stay. Just as importantly, they wanted a place for their cars. Enter the "garage camp cabins."

The dark spots you see next to each of the orange cabins are garages. I imagine that, given the number of hail storms and violent thunderstorms we experience during the summer, those garages were very popular.

What did the interior of the cabins look like? Come back next week, and we'll explore them.

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 9, 2019

What is this? As someone who did not grow up on a farm, if I hadn't seen the sign, I wouldn't have known that it was a hay baler.

I have to admit that I never thought much about how hay was baled, but seeing this tool in one of the barns at Fort Bridger made me wonder (1) how much work was involved in putting the hay into the baler and (2) what happened to the bale once it was formed. I found some of the answers here.

One thing I can tell you: I'm glad I wasn't the person harvesting and then baling hay. Sitting in front of a computer screen is much easier!

Wednesday in Wyoming - January 2, 2019

Happy New Year and welcome back to Fort Bridger! I found so many interesting things that I wanted to share with you that it's going to take several months to finish.

The first stop on any visitor's tour ought to be the sutler's store. It was here that families who were living on the post bought everything from foodstuffs to saddles to hats to bathtubs. Yes, bathtubs.

Currently, in addition to showcasing the goods that were once sold in the store, it serves as the visitor's center. It's here that you have the opportunity to have your questions answered, and - if you arrive at the right time - to tour the fort with an authentically costumed guide.

As attractive as her costume is, I can tell you that the bustle made sitting a bit of a challenge. I also wouldn't want to be wearing multiple layers of long skirts and long sleeves in a hot Wyoming summer. There are definite advantages to living in the 21st century.

Wednesday in Wyoming - November 28, 2018

In contrast to the rather simple buildings that we saw in the Carter compound last week, this one shows its Victorian origins. What is it? The commanding officer's home at Fort Bridger.

Can't you picture women with parasols strolling the walks and then sitting on the porch to sip lemonade? I can.

There are still many more things to share about Fort Bridger, but we'll take a break for a month or so. What's coming for December? How about Christmas decorations?

Wednesday in Wyoming - November 21, 2018

One of the most influential men at Fort Bridger during the period the Army occupied it was Judge William Carter. Not only did he serve as the fort's sutler, but in 1860 he was responsible for the establishment of Wyoming's first school.

The teachers he hired from the East were so competent and the education they provided to Carter's children and others from the fort so good that the graduates of the Carter school were allowed to enter eastern colleges without any additional education. Now, that's a good school.

As you can see, there was no consistent architectural style at the Carter compound. The school house is the white building with vertical siding. The stone building attached to it is the milk house. The large dark brown building in the background is the ice house.

Wednesday in Wyoming - November 14, 2018

Last week I told you that Fort Bridger began its life as a trading post, designed to provide supplies to the emigrants traveling the Oregon Trail. Though Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez established it together in 1843, it bore Bridger's name, undoubtedly because he was the more famous of the two. Some refer to Bridger as the Daniel Boone of the Rockies.

I suspect the pioneers traveling the Oregon Trail didn't care about the name. What mattered to them was that the trading post sold vital goods and had a blacksmith shop. At this point in their journey, they needed both.

Wednesday in Wyoming - November 7, 2018

This month we're going to travel to Fort Bridger, which is currently one of the Wyoming Parks. I say "currently," because the site has a number of different identities in its past.

It was founded as a trading post by Mountain Man Jim Bridger, then became part of the Mormon Fort Supply. A few years later, the US Army took control of the site and remained there until 1890. But the story didn't end with the Army's departure. In the 1930s when automobile travel became popular, Fort Bridger was the site of some unique cabins. And now it's a state park. See what I mean about a varied past?

I hope you'll enjoy this month's posts. And, if you were wondering, this picture, showing Fort Bridger as the "historical hub of trade and travel," can be found in the museum.