Bridger, Fort

views updated Jun 11 2018

BRIDGER, FORT

BRIDGER, FORT, on Black's Fork, Uinta County, Wyoming, was a frontier trading post and later a U.S. Army fort. In 1843, James Bridger and his partner, Louis Vasquez, built it and operated it for a number of years. Bridger's post gained its greatest fame as a way station and supply point for western emigrants. Around 1855, Mormon colonists from Utah took over the post and in 1857 burned it on the approach of U.S. troops. In 1858 the U.S. Army rebuilt it as a military post and in 1890 finally abandoned it. It is now a state park.

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Janin, Hunt. Fort Bridger, Wyoming: Trading Post for Indians, Mountain Men, and Westward Migrants. Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001.

Rupert N.Richardson

See alsoMormon Expedition ; Trading Posts, Frontier .

More From encyclopedia.com

About this article

Fort Bridger State Park

All Sources -
Updated Aug 24 2016 About encyclopedia.com content Print Topic

You Might Also Like