Fort Fetterman State Historic Site

Visit an 1867 fort built by the United States Army.

Fort Fetterman was built as a major supply point for the United States arm's operations in the area, such as The Bighorn and the Yellowstone Expedition. The fort was also important for the protection of the Bozeman Trail and other routes for settlers. This site was named in honor of Captain William J. Ferrerman, who was killed in a battle near Fort Phil Kearny on December 21, 1866.

Originally, the fort housed 300 enlisted men, storehouses, stables, and a hospital. The storehouses had ammunition, rations, and other supplies inside. There were 15 beds in the hospital, and the stables had room for 50 horses. The corral could hold 56 mule wagons, a theatre, an ice house, a root house, a granary, and a bakehouse. There were also blacksmith shops, a sawmill, a saddlers' shop, a paint shop, laundresses' quarters, and a steam engine for pumping water from the North Platte River.

The site was considered a hardship site due to horrible winter storms, and the soil was so poor that it was impossible to grow vegetables. Supplies were brought by wagon from Fort Laramie or Medicine Bow Station on the railroad. The soldiers had to carry water up the steep bluffs from the river or nearby creek. When the army left in 1882, civilians moved in, and it was called Fetterman, but by 1886, it died out when Douglas was established by the Chicago North Western Railway.