Stop 5 Along the Oregon Trail - Fort Laramie

At the Crossroads of Two Pioneer Trails

Fort Laramie, located in eastern Wyoming, was an important 19th century fur trading post and U.S. military installation. During the 1850’s, it was the primary stopping point for settlers traveling on the Oregon and Mormon Trails. Many of the Army’s military campaigns in the Indian Wars were conducted from the headquarters at the fort. The Fort’s name was immortalized in two treaties, both known as The Treaty of Fort Laramie, in 1851 and 1868, regarding Indians and White settlement. After the railroads came to Wyoming, the fort lost importance. It was decommissioned in 1889, and now stands as a landmark in the Fort Laramie NationalHistoric Site.