Ft. Caspar Cemetery, Casper Wyoming

Tombstone for Lt. Caspar Collins. Collins is not actually buried here, but his men were at one time.

These are photographs of the cemetery at Ft. Caspar, Wyoming. The cemetery was the post cemetery for Platte Bridge Station/Ft. Caspar, the frontier Army post occupied off and up until the 1860s, and then on a permanent basis through most of the 1860s. The post was abandoned as part of the settlement reached during Red Cloud's War.

The cemetery contained the bodies of soldiers lost at the Battle Platte Bridge Station, as well as those who otherwise died on post during the 1860s, but not to the exclusion of other locations. Originally thought to be the exclusive post cemetery, excavations, principally for construction projects, has revealed that there were in fact several other locations within 1/2 mile of the post that were also used. The exact reason for this is unknown, but there is some speculation that the bodies of those who died in the post hospital were buried off post, perhaps due the concern of spreading disease.

In the 20th Century the U.S. Army determined to consolidate military cemeteries and recovered the bodies of many men who were buried at remote posts such as this. This included the bodies of those buried at Ft. Caspar. However, given the presence of several burial grounds around the post, not all of the bodies were actually recovered. As discussed elsewhere on this site, there were also those buried at other local posts which, at least in one instance, were not recovered. This particular cemetery now contains only tombstones, but it is probable that the bodies of soldiers are still buried on or near the post. The bodies of those killed at the Battle of Red Buttes, which occurred on the same day as the Battle of Platte Bridge Station, and which was visible from the post, were buried in a common grave which has been lost.

The Grand Army of the Republic Memorial in Natrona County is located immediately astride this cemetery.

Turkish Soldiers' Memorial, Republic of Korea

This is Turkish Soldiers' Memorial in South Korea. The photo is not a great one, as I took it during a brief stop while participating in the Team Spirit 1987 maneuvers. I didn't actually have the chance to go up to the memorial and closely observe it.

Up close, this is a very impressive memorial. It commemorates the valiant service of Turkish soldiers while part of the United Nations mission to Korea, during the Korean War.

World War One Memorial, Laramie Wyoming

This is the World War One Memorial in Laramie Wyoming. This memorial commemorates every resident of Albany County, together with every student or employee of the University of Wyoming, who lost their life in World War One. These photographs were taken in waning light, and therefore are not great. The dark bronze plates list names, and are full all the way around the memorial.

The number of names on this memorial is impressive, giving evidence to just how severe the combat of World War One was. This is one of two World War One memorials located in Laramie, with the other being located at the Episcopal Cathedral. This one is on a corner of the block occupied by the Albany County Courthouse.

View from the back steps of the Albany County Courthouse.

This memorial hasn't always been in this location. It was, at one time, located in a prominent location downtown. It only occupied this prominent downtown position for several years, however. It was moved by 1929 to its current location but the area still looks different as as the current courthouse had not yet been built.

Some Gave All: Spanish American War Memorial, Cheyenne, Wyoming

Recently updated:

Some Gave All: Spanish American War Memorial, Cheyenne, Wyoming: This Memorial is called "Taking the Oath". Oddly enough, the bottom photographs were taken years after the first, but in both instances...

Roll of Honor, Wyoming State Capitol

This is a monument just inside the doors of the Wyoming State Capitol.

An unfortunate aspect of this memorial is that it is not specific for the war dead it commemorates. Given the number of names, and the lack of a conflict being identified, my presumption is that it commemorates those who were lost in World War One.

Pony Express Memorial, Ft. Caspar Wyoming

Another in the series of off topic memorials I've been posting recently, but perhaps not as completely off topic as they may initially seem. These Frontier Era memorials concern events that are in some ways closely associated with the topic that this site otherwise addresses, albeit in a somewhat different context.

Oregon Trail Memorials, Ft. Caspar Wyoming

This is an Oregon Trail memorial at Ft. Casper Wyoming. I somewhat wonder if the medallion on this one came from an older monument, as the medallion is a very common site along the trail on older memorials. At some point prior to World War Two a significant effort was made to place such memorials commemorating the trail, which in many locations had become state highways.

This is an even older Oregon Trail Memorial, also located at Ft. Caspar. As can be seen from the monument, it was placed in 1914. During this period, traveling on the trial itself was very common, as nearly every stretch of it was some sort of local road. Indeed, in some parts of Wyoming, this is still the case.

Once again, these monuments probably really do not belong here, but they are strongly associated with the history of Western movement, which involved a lot of sacrifice of all sorts by all involved.

Guinard's Bridge, Natrona County Wyoming.

Again, not really in the focus of this blog, but the location of a significant local battle, that being the Battle of Platte Bridge Station, which is otherwise noted on this site. This is Guinard's Bridge, which was the Platte Bridge guarded by the post later known as Ft. Caspar. The bridge type structure depicted here is, of course, a replica. The monument is an old monument posted on this location well before the construction of the replica bridge.

Empty Saddle, Casper Wyoming

This isn't a war memorial, but presumably a memorial of some kind. "Empty Saddle", at the old Natrona County Courthouse in Casper Wyoming.

Pony Express Memorial, Casper Wyoming

This is another that's really outside the scope of this site. This is the Pony Express Memorial at the Three Trails Center in Casper, Wyoming.

Caspar Collins, Casper Wyoming

This is a statute of Caspar Collins, as Casper Wyoming's All Events Center. Casper is named after Collins, who lost his life in the 1865 battle of Platte Bridge Station, which is the subject of other memorials at Fort Caspar and in Mills, Wyoming.

This is a remarkable statute, and fairly accurately depicts Collin's dress on that day. Not expecting to survive the battle, in which the 11th Ohio Cavalry lieutenant volunteered to lead troops of the 11th Kansas Cavalry into a desperate fight to rescue an oncoming Army wagon train (which would be engaged in the Battle of Red Buttes later that day) , he dressed in his best uniform. Collins was not stationed at Platte Bridge Station, and his volunteering was heroic, if doomed.

Miner's Memorial, Rock Springs Wyoming

This is another one that doesn't quite fit the theme of the site, but which is otherwise interesting. A memorial to Sweetwater County Wyoming underground miners.

Regarding the spots that appear in these photographs, it had started snowing when I took these photos.

Monument Park, Casper Wyoming

This is Monument Park in Casper, Wyoming. It doesn't really fit the theme of this blog, but given as I recently took photographs of the rails to trails pathway through Casper, and this is on it, I have added it.

This nice little park actually came about due to some controversy. For many years, Casper had a monument of the Ten Commandments, now present in this park, in a park that is across from City Park, and across from St. Anthony's Church. However, a certain group from Kansas added the monument to its protests, even though it asserts church status. Casper, not wishing to yield to the controversy, created this park with monuments to various things significant to the formation of Western culture.