Did you know that you can visit a piece of history that seems frozen in time, right on the banks of the Laramie River? Fort Laramie National Historic Site tells the story of early Wyoming history and it’s worth a visit if you want to walk through the past.

As the earliest settlers and colonizers made their way west across the American continent, they began to establish outposts and forts along their trails to make the landscapes more hospitable.
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In the 1830s, a private fur trading post was established at the confluence of the Laramie and the North Platte rivers, in modern day Wyoming.
By 1849, the outpost was purchased by the United States Army, who sought to create a trading stop, supply shop, and fort along the trail that led to South Pass, where most immigrants crossed through the Rocky Mountains.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site
At the time, the outpost was called Fort William - named after William Sublette - and for a short while, it was also called Fort John. When the United States Army took over, it was renamed Fort Laramie, for the nearby river.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site

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When the transcontinental railroad was completed, trail stops like Fort Laramie were no longer needed, as wagon train traffic practically halted overnight.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site
In 1889, soldiers from Fort Laramie were sent to Fort Logan near Denver, and in 1890 Fort Laramie was decommissioned. The Fort's buildings and structures were sold at public auction, and the property was opened to homesteaders.
It took nearly 100 years for the Fort to be recognized as a spot on the National Register of Historic Places.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site
Today, Fort Laramie Historic District consists of 36 structures - including 13 buildings, 11 ruins, and a handful of spots were the foundations are all that remains.
A visit to Fort Laramie National Historic Site is a trip back in time! Take a walking tour of the grounds to see just what life was like for soldiers stationed at the post, and learn about the conflicts between Indigenous people and those moving across and settling on their land.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site
This landmark along Wyoming's iconic rivers is a significant piece of history, and learning about the ways our state was settled is important for anyone who lives out here in the Cowboy State.
Facebook / Fort Laramie National Historic Site

You can learn more about visiting the Fort Laramie Historic Site on the National Park Service website, right here. If you can’t make it all the way out to the Fort just yet, take a virtual tour online!

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965 Grey Rocks Road, Fort Laramie, WY 82212, USA