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66-479: The North Platte River is a major tributary of the Platte River and is approximately 716 miles (1,152 km) long, counting its many curves. In a straight line, it travels about 550 miles (890 km), along its course through the U.S. states of Colorado , Wyoming , and Nebraska . The head of the river is essentially all of Jackson County, Colorado , whose boundaries are the continental divide on

132-471: A bar and officers club housing. The First Hospital in Fort Laramie was built from adobe bricks with a log roof in 1856. It had two rooms with eight beds each. The First Hospital was expanded in 1858 with an additional room, kitchen, dinning, and laundry area. Then in 1871 a new hospital was built in Fort Laramie originally based on a military standardized hospital plan. The first wing of this hospital

198-691: A brutal Wyoming blizzard. In the late 1860s, the fort was the primary staging ground for the United States in the Powder River Country during Red Cloud's War . In 1868 the parties reached a peace agreement codified as the second Treaty of Fort Laramie . The discovery of gold in the Black Hills touched off another period of conflict with the Lakota and Northern Cheyenne , as the United States violated their previous promise to keep

264-718: A connection south via a crude mule-train road to the Santa Fe Trail via Colorado. Fort Bernard burnt down in 1866, and was never rebuilt. Only a few years later the transcontinental railway joined the two American sea coasts and train travel largely replaced the overland travel along the Emigrant Trails. The fort was purchased from Bruce Husband, a member of the American Fur Company, for $ 4,000 in June 1849 by US Army Lt. Daniel P. Woodbury on behalf of

330-564: A day, and could hold up to 40 prisoners in the lower level. The New Guardhouse was built to relieve the Old Guardhouse from overcrowding in 1876. Many ruins of old structures are present at Fort Laramie Historic Site, with the remaining structures making up only a third of the buildings that were once at Fort Laramie. With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the troops at Fort Laramie were withdrawn to fight

396-547: A duplex. Also originally built in 1849 was the Post Traders store. This store provided supplies for all sorts of people including the Army, Native Americans, and pioneers traveling west. Throughout the years the fort was running, numerous additions were added to the Post Traders store and complex. In 1852 the northern section was built from stone, this became the store headquarters. Additions were made again in 1883 to serve as

462-583: A ford easily used by travelers on what later became the northern overland emigrant trails following the North Platte River west from Nebraska. With the opening of the Mormon Trail on the north bank of the Platte and North Platte, the fort was a junction for westbound travelers. It was an anchor roughly a quarter of the way to either California or Oregon on the famous Oregon Trail. To the west,

528-421: A limited supply of wood and stone in the surrounding area. One solution to these issues was the use of adobe bricks in building. Adobe bricks were a cheaper material that could provide needed insulation in the cold climate. Alongside adobe bricks, many buildings are made using concrete and some wood use as well. This use of multiple building materials gives Fort Laramie a unique aesthetic Built in 1849, Old Bedlam

594-402: A location where the westward trail diverged in the direction of either Oregon, Salt Lake City or California. Based on contemporary accounts travelers would remain at the fort several days to mail letters, exchange or purchase cattle , replenish their provisions and reset wagon tires. The fort was taken over by the Army largely to protect and supply emigrants along the emigrant trails. In 1851,

660-400: A new river, to be given its own name, perhaps one already known to the people who live upon its banks. Conversely, explorers approaching a new land from the sea encounter its rivers at their mouths, where they name them on their charts, then, following a river upstream, encounter each tributary as a forking of the stream to the right and to the left, which then appear on their charts as such; or

726-645: A slow flowing, shallow braided stream . The upper reaches of the river in the Rockies in Colorado and Wyoming are popular for recreation rafting and fly fishing on the river and its many tributaries for rainbow trout and other sport fish. In western Nebraska, the banks and riverbed of the North Platte provide a green oasis amid an otherwise semi-arid region of North America. The river has been dammed several times to form several reservoirs along its course. On

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792-573: A thin staircase. Next, was the construction of the Cavalry Barracks in 1872-1874. This two story building is the only barracks left at Fort Laramie. The Cavalry Barracks had two large rooms on the second floor, each would hold roughly 60 men. Another quarters, known as the Post Surgeon quarters was finished in 1875 and lived in for the next 15 years by the surgeon and his family. The post surgeon quarters have been reconstructed to resemble

858-538: Is only navigable over most of its length at high water by canoes , kayaks and rubber rafts . The North Platte River drainage has been an important westward route in the westward expansion of the United States . To get the two essentials, water and grass, for the traveler's animals the emigration trails nearly always followed river valleys across the North American continent. These trails extended from

924-468: Is the oldest known U.S. military structure in Wyoming and Fort Laramie's most commonly noted building. Old Bedlam served as the original officer quarters for Fort Laramie. It was used by officers of various rank and marital status, since no other housing was yet available. Old Bedlam offered very little privacy utilizing public kitchen areas and soldiers often sharing rooms. In 1881 Old Bedlam was turned into

990-461: The Bozeman (1863–68) Trails. The trails north of the North Platte River originally crossed the North Platte near Fort Laramie to join the original Oregon and California Trail Route on the south side. In 1850 Child's Route (Child's Cutoff) extended the north side trail to what is now Casper, Wyoming. The rugged territory from Fort Laramie, Wyoming to Casper meant that the trails often deviated from

1056-688: The Confederate States Army in the east. To take their place, a series of volunteer regiments soon arrived at Fort Laramie, including the 11th Ohio Cavalry , serving until they were mustered out in 1866. Between October 1864 and October 1866 at least two companies from various units of " Galvanized Yankees " (Confederate prisoners of war recruited in the Union Army) were stationed at Fort Laramie. On Christmas night in 1866, John "Portuguese" Phillips ended his historic horseback ride at Fort Laramie after riding 236 miles (380 km) from

1122-611: The Encampment River . All these streams are draining the snow melt form the mountains surrounding Jackson County. The North Platte River flows northward from Colorado into Wyoming through the popular rafting site – Northgate Canyon which is along the western side of the Medicine Bow Mountains . In Colorado and Wyoming, the river is narrower and much swifter flowing than it is in Nebraska, where it becomes

1188-628: The Fort Laramie National Historic Site (the former site of Fort Laramie), where it is joined by the Laramie River . The North Platte is joined by Horse Creek flowing in from Wyoming near the Wyoming-Nebraska border as its last significant addition. It crosses into western Nebraska, flowing east-southeast between the cities of Scottsbluff, Nebraska and Gering, Nebraska . In Keith County, Nebraska ,

1254-689: The Granite Mountains to the west and the Laramie Mountains to the east. The North Platte emerges from the mountains near Casper, where it turns and flows east-southeast, along the northern edge of the Laramie Mountains onto the Great Plains . The North Platte flows east-southeast across the plains of eastern Wyoming, past the town of Douglas, Wyoming and through Glendo and Guernsey Reservoirs. It then flows past

1320-528: The Kingsley Dam forms Lake C.W. McConaughy , the largest reservoir in Nebraska and a significant irrigation and recreation facility for the region. Kingsley Dam, constructed in 1935 to 1941, is located on the east side of Lake McConaughy in central Keith County, Nebraska, and is the second largest hydraulic fill dam in the world. East of the Kingsley dam the North Platte River flows nearly parallel to

1386-534: The Laramie River just south of its mouth onto the North Platte River . On the opposite bank, the town of Fort Laramie , developed (both were later renamed to match the river's eponym). Geographically, the site is situated just east of the steeper foothills terrain to the west (sometimes called "High Plains") that ascends to the east side of the Rocky Mountains proper. This ascent was among

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1452-603: The Missouri River , Platte River and North Platte River across Nebraska and parts of Wyoming and on to its confluence with the Sweetwater River . About 50 miles (80 km) beyond what is now Casper, Wyoming the main emigration trails left the North Platte valley and followed the Sweetwater River valley and other river valleys going further west. The trail route along the North Platte River

1518-538: The Powder River Country . His entire unit had been killed in a fight with the Sioux under Red Cloud , and he had ridden to get reinforcements for Fort Phil Kearny . Legend maintains that Phillips' thoroughbred horse dropped dead upon arriving at the fort; it is unclear whether Phillips kept the same mount for the entire ride. Phillips crossed hostile Indian country, and had to make most of the journey during

1584-684: The South Platte River . In many places they are separated by only about 5 mi (8 km) for a stretch of about 50 mi (80 km) before they join to form the Platte River just east of the city of North Platte, Nebraska . The wagon trails following the south side of the Platte/North Platte River ferried or waded in low water years across the South Platte River in several places to stay on

1650-546: The United States Government . Three companies of cavalry arrived at the fort that same month, and Company 'G', 6th Infantry, which was the post's permanent garrison for many years, arrived on August 12, 1849. By 1849, gold seekers had joined the Oregon-bound settlers and Mormons heading to Utah, and westward travelers were estimated to number between 20,000 and 40,000 in 1849. The fort itself occupied

1716-523: The 1880's. Following this was the construction of the Lt. Col. Quarters known as Burt House in 1884. Made with lime grout concrete, Burt House was intended for the Lt. Col. and his family. Burt House is currently restored to 1887-1888 when Lt. Col. Andrew Burt and his family lived there. Fort Laramie also has two surviving guardhouses. The Old Guardhouse, built in 1866, was the second guardhouse in Fort Laramie. This building usually had guards on duty for 24 hours

1782-513: The Mormon settlers to Salt Lake City, Utah established a ferry near present-day Casper known as the Mormon Ferry. The next year the ferry was moved a few miles down river. Soon competing ferries were built. In 1859, Louis Guinard built a toll bridge across the North Platte and a trading post near the original ferry's locations. Before reaching Casper the river turns and flows northeast between

1848-457: The North Platte River. In Jackson county the North Platte is joined by several other small streams draining the mountains around the county. Some of these creeks are: Arapaho Creek, Colorado Creek, East Branch Illinois River, Jack Creek, Jewell Lake Trib., Grizzly Creek, Little Grizzly Creek, Norris Creek, North Fork of North Platte River, Rock Creek (Little Willow Ck), South Fork Canadian River, South Fork Michigan River, Willow Creek and in Wyoming

1914-413: The area where Fort Laramie would later be located. He went out alone to trap in 1819 or 1820 and was never seen again. Arapahoe Indians were accused of killing La Ramee and burying his body in a beaver dam. The river was named "Laramie" in his honor, and later settlers used this name for the Laramie Mountains , the fort, and the towns of Laramie, Wyoming and Fort Laramie, Wyoming . The original fort

1980-481: The common trail leaving Fort John-Laramie later spins off to the Mormon and California trails further west along the road to the Rogue River Valley. The main trail passed northwest to Oregon's Willamette Valley and Oregon City . One of the early principal owner-trappers was William Sublette , and the fort was called Fort William before being sold to the American Fur Company in 1841. (John Jacob Astor,

2046-489: The east—the north boundary is the state of Wyoming boundary. The rugged Rocky Mountains Continental Divide surrounding Jackson County have at least twelve peaks over 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in height. These peaks include on the west: Mount Zirkel 12,180 feet (3,710 m), Lost ranger Peak 11,932 feet (3,637 m) and Mount Ethel 11,924 feet (3,634 m); on the south: Sheep Mountain 11,819 feet (3,602 m) and Parkview Mountain 12,296 feet (3,748 m)—whose waters on

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2112-424: The extensive water taken from it for irrigation. Tributary A tributary , or an affluent , is a stream or river that flows into a larger stream ( main stem or "parent" ), river, or a lake . A tributary does not flow directly into a sea or ocean . Tributaries, and the main stem river into which they flow, drain the surrounding drainage basin of its surface water and groundwater , leading

2178-406: The few roadways accessible by the wagons pioneers used to the west. It passed through the continental divide and reached the west slopes of the Rockies along a network of river valleys connecting to the far west via South Pass near the head waters of the North Platte. The strategic site on the eastern plains also had large grazing areas, where migrants could rest their draft animals before tackling

2244-546: The first Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed, resulting in relatively peaceful relations between the whites and the Native Americans during the 1850s, though troops from the fort made up the small force that was killed during the Grattan massacre of 1854 under the command of Second Lieutenant John Lawrence Grattan . During the increasing strife of the 1860s, the fort took on a more military posture. Fort Laramie

2310-456: The first-order tributary being typically the least in size. For example, a second-order tributary would be the result of two or more first-order tributaries combining to form the second-order tributary. Another method is to list tributaries from mouth to source, in the form of a tree structure , stored as a tree data structure . Fort Laramie Fort William was founded by William Sublette and his partner Robert Campbell in 1834. In

2376-527: The founder, had left his company a decade before.) The name was changed to Fort John after John Sarpy, a partner in the company. The 1846 treaties established relatively stable western territories after viable routes west had become well published. By the time the westward migration along the Oregon Trail had markedly increased, the US Army had become tenants in the fort as well. The fort was located along

2442-451: The handedness is from the point of view of an observer facing upstream. For instance, Steer Creek has a left tributary which is called Right Fork Steer Creek. These naming conventions are reflective of the circumstances of a particular river's identification and charting: people living along the banks of a river, with a name known to them, may then float down the river in exploration, and each tributary joining it as they pass by appears as

2508-470: The hills limited to the Sioux. Miners invaded the territory, and US forces came into conflict during the Great Sioux War of 1876 . Fort Laramie served as a major staging point for supplies and troops. After the completion of the transcontinental railroad , the fort's importance gradually decreased. Fewer wagon trains journeyed west, and regional Native Americans had been largely subdued. The fort

2574-424: The joining of tributaries. The opposite to a tributary is a distributary , a river or stream that branches off from and flows away from the main stream. Distributaries are most often found in river deltas . Right tributary , or right-bank tributary , and left tributary , or left-bank tributary , describe the orientation of the tributary relative to the flow of the main stem river. These terms are defined from

2640-459: The mountains. People could set up camps, do laundry, and heal before beginning anew the rigors of the westward trail. In 1845, the nearby Fort Bernard was established about 8 miles (13 km) east, farther down the North Platte River, in hopes of getting some of the growing Emigrant Trail trade with western bound wagon trains. This much smaller fort undersold the Laramie operation. It offered

2706-892: The north end of the Park range it is joined by the Medicine Bow River in the Seminoe Reservoir formed by Seminoe Dam , further downstream is the Kortes Reservoir . Still further downstream about 50 miles (80 km) above Casper the North Platte is joined by the Sweetwater River to form the Pathfinder Reservoir . Northeast of the Pathfinder Reservoir it passes through the Alcova and Gray Reef reservoirs before it hits Casper. Casper

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2772-406: The opposite bank before approaching the confluence. An early tributary is a tributary that joins the main stem river closer to its source than its mouth, that is, before the river's midpoint ; a late tributary joins the main stem further downstream, closer to its mouth than to its source, that is, after the midpoint. In the United States, where tributaries sometimes have the same name as

2838-549: The other emigrant trails heading west over the continental divide from Fort John-Laramie. The name "Fort Laramie" gradually came into use, likely as a convenient shortening of "Fort John at the Laramie River". The remaining structures are preserved as the Fort Laramie National Historic Site by the National Park Service . In 1815 or 1816, Jacques La Ramee and a small group of fellow trappers settled in

2904-476: The perspective of looking downstream, that is, facing the direction the water current of the main stem is going. In a navigational context, if one were floating on a raft or other vessel in the main stream, this would be the side the tributary enters from as one floats past; alternately, if one were floating down the tributary, the main stream meets it on the opposite bank of the tributary. This information may be used to avoid turbulent water by moving towards

2970-434: The remains of the old adobe walled fur trade fort (Fort John) flanked by a cluster of scattered wood and adobe buildings around the parade grounds. After Fort Laramie was purchased by the military on June 26, 1849, numerous buildings were constructed in the following years. As construction began many different factors were hindering progress. Amongst these issues included a lack of laborers, the cold winters, lack of water, and

3036-666: The river into which they feed, they are called forks . These are typically designated by compass direction. For example, the American River in California receives flow from its North, Middle, and South forks. The Chicago River 's North Branch has the East, West, and Middle Fork; the South Branch has its South Fork, and used to have a West Fork as well (now filled in). Forks are sometimes designated as right or left. Here,

3102-401: The river to find an easier path and relied on streams draining into the North Platte for water. Up in central north Colorado rests North Park (Colorado basin) , a valley ringed by 12,000 feet (3,700 m) mountains. The headwaters of the river is essentially all of Jackson County, Colorado whose boundaries are the continental divide on the west and south and the mountain drainage peaks on

3168-599: The river turns to the east-southeast and flows about 350 miles (560 km) to the city of North Platte, Nebraska . The North Platte and South Platte River join to form the Platte River in western Nebraska near the city of North Platte, Nebraska. The Platte River flows to the Missouri River , which joins the Mississippi River to flow to the Gulf of Mexico . The river provides the major avenue of drainage for northern Colorado, eastern Wyoming and western Nebraska. It

3234-418: The smaller stream designated the little fork, the larger either retaining its name unmodified, or receives the designation big . Tributaries are sometimes listed starting with those nearest to the source of the river and ending with those nearest to the mouth of the river . The Strahler stream order examines the arrangement of tributaries in a hierarchy of first, second, third and higher orders, with

3300-477: The south or east side drain into the North Platte River drainage. On the east are: Mount Nimbus 12,706 feet (3,873 m), Mount Cumulus 12,725 feet (3,879 m), Howard Mountain 12,810 feet (3,900 m), Mount Cirrus 12,797 feet (3,901 m), Mount Richthofen 12,940 feet (3,940 m), Lead Mountain 12,537 feet (3,821 m), North Diamond Peak 11,852 feet (3,612 m) and Clark Peak 12,951 feet (3,947 m) whose eastern slope waters drain into

3366-410: The south side of the North Platte River where the trails were located. Those who later went on to Denver, Colorado followed the South Platte River trail into Colorado. Historically, the North Platte River used to be up to a mile wide (1.6 km) in many places as evidenced by the old streambed and written records. Today, by the time the North Platte reaches Paxton, Nebraska it is much smaller due to

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3432-596: The spring of 1835, Sublette sold the fort to Thomas Fitzpatrick , a local fur trader. After a rendezvous in 1836, it was sold to the American Fur Company , which still had a virtual monopoly on the western fur trade. Starting as early as the fall of 1840, the American Fur Company began competing with the newly-established Fort Platte , built by Lancaster Lupton about a mile away from Fort William. The American Fur Company hired workers from Santa Fe to construct an adobe fort to replace Fort William. This fort

3498-432: The streams are seen to diverge by the cardinal direction (north, south, east, or west) in which they proceed upstream, sometimes a third stream entering between two others is designated the middle fork; or the streams are distinguished by the relative height of one to the other, as one stream descending over a cataract into another becomes the upper fork, and the one it descends into, the lower ; or by relative volume:

3564-520: The trail along the Platte, North Platte and Sweetwater Rivers became a major trail to the fur trader ’s summer time Rocky Mountain Rendezvous . Mule trains carrying in trading supplies for the mountain men and fur trappers were some of the first to use the trail in 1824. The fur traders on their return trip carried the traded furs back east at the end of the summer trading season. This fur trade route continued to be used to about 1840. By about 1832

3630-694: The trail along the Platte, North Platte, and Sweetwater Rivers had been improved by the fur traders to a rough wagon trail from the Missouri River to the Green River in Wyoming where most of the Rocky Mountain Rendezvous occurred. Following the fur traders, the major emigration trails established along the north and south banks of the North Platte River were the Oregon (1843–1869), California (1843–1869), Mormon (1847–1869) and

3696-466: The water out into an ocean. The Irtysh is a chief tributary of the Ob river and is also the longest tributary river in the world with a length of 4,248 km (2,640 mi). The Madeira River is the largest tributary river by volume in the world with an average discharge of 31,200 m /s (1.1 million cu ft/s). A confluence , where two or more bodies of water meet, usually refers to

3762-541: The west and south and the mountain drainage peaks on the east—the north boundary is the state of Wyoming border. The rugged Rocky Mountains surrounding Jackson County have at least twelve peaks over 11,000 feet (3,400 m) in height. From Jackson County the river flows north about 200 miles (320 km) out of the Routt National Forest and North Park (Colorado basin) near what is now Walden, Colorado , to Casper, Wyoming . Shortly after passing Casper,

3828-467: Was completed in 1873-1874 but the original plans were never finished. Porches were added around the building to help with the harsh weather. Over the years Fort Laramie was operational, several more buildings were built for housing. Firstly, The Captains Quarters were built from 1868-1870. The plans for the Captains Quarters were altered midway through construction, resulting in a duplex with

3894-421: Was constructed in the 1830s, probably in 1833–1834 by William Sublette and Robert Campbell . The overland fur trade was still prosperous when Jim Bridger and Tom Fitzpatrick bought the place. The fort was located near the confluence of two rivers, so it commanded a broad plain with water on two sides; these formed a partial natural moat. In addition, the nearby confluence of the North Platte's waters had

3960-407: Was decommissioned in 1890. The original abandonment order was issued in 1889, and four of the infantry companies stationed there at that time went to Fort Logan , near Denver, Colorado that fall. In March 1890, about 30 cavalry soldiers and civilian mechanics under the command of Lt. C. W. Taylor arrived at the fort and removed doors, windows, flooring, and any other material from the buildings that

4026-466: Was established in 1888 east of the former site of Fort Caspar , which was built about 1859 during the mass migration along the Oregon, California, Mormon and Bozeman trails. Near what is now Casper was the location of several ferries that offered passage across the North Platte River during the summer "Trail season" starting about 1847. In 1847, during the first Mormon emigration, Brigham Young leading

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4092-491: Was established, which became the Fort Laramie National Historic Site in 1960. In a 1983 document, the National Park Service (NPS) describes a 536-acre historic district within the larger national historic site containing all of the historic structures, buildings, ruins, and sites, as well as a separate area containing a bridge. The NPS identified 36 significant physical remains that provide

4158-541: Was first written about by Wilson Price Hunt of the Astor Expedition who was traveling back to the Missouri River from the newly established Fort Astoria on the Columbia River in 1811. The lack of American trappers and settlers in the contested Oregon Territory resulted in this early discovery being unused and nearly forgotten. Jedediah Smith and several trappers in 1823 rediscovered the route and

4224-502: Was named Fort John, after John Sarpy, a partner in the company. In 1849, the U.S. Army purchased the fort as a post to protect the many wagon trains of migrant travelers on the Oregon Trail, and the subsidiary northern emigrant trails which split off further west. These included the California and Mormon Trails . The middle reaches of the Mormon trail stayed on the north banks of the Platte and North Platte rivers, and merged with

4290-651: Was never seriously threatened by Indian attacks during the quarter-century of intermittent warfare sparked by the Grattan massacre. However, a number of civilians were killed in the immediate area and their property destroyed or stolen during this period of hostilities on the plains. The last known death occurred in March 1877 on the Big Bitter Cottonwood Creek. The earliest surviving photograph of Fort Laramie, taken in 1858 by Samuel C. Mills , shows

4356-467: Was thought to be of value to the government. The last soldiers left Fort Laramie on April 20, 1890. All but one of the structures were sold at auction to private citizens. The entire military reservation, which was nine miles long and six miles wide, was opened up to homesteaders for settlement on October 5, 1891. The federal government repurchased the site in 1938 and began reconstructing the fort for preservation purposes. The Fort Laramie National Monument

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