James Bridger's Ferry

This is one of Wyoming's many roadside monuments that's not longer really road side.

This monument is on the old highway that ran from Orin Junction to Wheatland.  When the Interstate was built, Orin Junction was bypassed and for that matter, the Interstate zips through, not into, Wheatland.  Many such monuments exist, a few of which are now completely marooned.

This one commemorates Jim Bridger's ferry across the North Platte River, which was placed in 1864.

A Burlington Norther Railroad Bridge, which itself isn't youthful, very near where the ferry once was.

Oregon Trail Marker, Green River Wyoming.

This is the memorial to pioneers in Green River Wyoming, which was one of the localities which a branch of the Oregon Trail went through.   This marker is on the grounds of the courthouse in Green River.

Sharp, Franklin, Taylor, Doe, and Kelly, and the bloody 1860s

A marker locating the spot where various Oregon Trail immigrants lost their lives during the Indian Wars of the early 1860s, which were coincident with the Civil War.  This spot is along Interstate 25 in Converse County, Wyoming.  Some pipeline work was going on at the time, which doesn't contribute to the overall scene in this picture.

Willow Springs, Natrona County, Wyoming

Lex Anteinternet: The Oregon Trail in Converse County.

Lex Anteinternet: The Oregon Trail in Converse County.:

Above is an Oregon Trail marker, placed in 1913, south of Douglas Wyoming. The Oregon Trail itself is visible directly behind it, being the strip of green sagebrush that's grown up over it in the prairie.

The white marker on the top of the hill is a marker used to mark the course of the trail.

 

 Looking down on the trail.

 The trail is visible in this photo, across the highway, where it goes up the side of a hill.

Erosion in the path of the trail.

Oregon Trail Marker, South of Douglas Wyoming

Oregon Trail marker, dated 1913, on a highway south of Douglas, Wyoming.

Oregon Trail Marker and Stuart Cabin

This monument commemorates the Oregon Trail, noting an 1841 date, and the 1812 Stuart cabin, which was at one time commonly noted to be the "first white man's cabin" in Wyoming. It was more likely the first European American cabin, as it could certainly be debated as to whether French Canadians had built prior temporary structures. The cabin itself was what was originally principally commemorated here, and at one time there was a wooden sign of the type placed by the State of Wyoming to mark historic sites here. The sign was removed many years ago for some reason.

The cabin was occupied only briefly, as the occupants, fur trappers, discovered that they had built it in an area that was being contested between two Indian tribes. Upon discovering that, they relocated their winter quarters to a spot near the current town of Torrington, over 100 miles away. As a cabin, it was a primitive structure, with a simple open hole in the roof allowing for a fire to be built on the floor with the smoke venting out the top.

Today, highway construction is going on in this location.

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.