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Things to do in Laramie
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Fort Sanders
Fort Sanders, just outside of
Laramie, Wyoming, was originally a wooden fort that was
constructed in 1866, on the Laramie Plains of south Wyoming.
First it was called Fort John Buford, but then renamed after
General William P. Sanders, a great general that had died at the
Siege of Knoxville in the Civil War. It was built to protect the
traveling settlers and homesteaders that were on the Overland
Trail; since many were attacked by the many Indian tribes that
roamed the area; and then later was used to protect the railroad
workers trying to build the Union Pacific Railroad. It came to
the area in 1868, and in 1869, Laramie was built 3 miles north
of the fort. When Fort D. A. Russell was constructed in
Cheyenne, Wyoming in 1868, Fort Sanders wasn't as important,
although the war department did keep it armed until 1882, and
then the buildings were sold. The entire fort was 223 feet by
400 feet; and that included the parade ground. It was built to
house 4 companies, then later increased to house 6; and all the
barracks were made of wood, except the guardhouse, which was
made of stone. That building was constructed in 1869, and as you
can see from the picture to the right, it is the sole survivor
of this early and important fort along the Overland Trail. If
not for the fort, the town of Laramie might not have been built
or survived, although it was originally built for the safety of
those traveling the Overland Trail. The fort itself was built
much the same as those in the frontier states of the time, using
whatever materials that were handy to construct a fort. In this
case, the walls were made of logs, and the barracks were always
the same. The bunks were made of planks with hay filled
mattresses and two soldiers shared a bunk. The stable was 230
feet long, with a garden next to the adjutant's office. The
company troops themselves were allowed to grow their own gardens
for the fresh vegetables, and these usually had turnips, beets,
cabbage, beans, peas and lettuce. Certainly enough variation for
soups, salads and sides for whatever game their could shot. The
headquarters was built using lathing, covered over with plaster,
and then it was scored so that it appeared to be more like
stone, and that included the lintels. This type of construction
was done in the middle ages, with the poorer barons or knights
using this method so that their castles looked something like
the wealthier courtesans. Forts were built on elevated grounds,
and on this one, the north side was bounded by Spring Creek and
on the south was Soldier Creek. The commander, Col. Richard
Irving Dodge, tried fishing in the creeks for some variation of
their diet, but although they were clean and clear, there
weren't any fish. The commander then sent away for some eggs,
and built a hatching box, but he never could find any of the
trout he'd grown. Even after Dodge left the post, he was updated
by the base commanders and no trout were ever seen. Ironically
sometime later, the streams became part of a fish hatchery and
there are now trout to be caught. In one of the corners of the
fort, an octagon hewn log blockhouse was built with two rows of
rifle slots, while the barracks, adjutant's office, bakery,
headquarters, and guard house were opposite the parade ground. A
100 foot flagpole made of two pieces had been erected in the
center of the parade ground to support a 36 foot by 20 foot
flag; being able to be seen from any direction a long ways off.
A bath tub was in the hospital, there weren't any bathing places
for the troops, other than the creeks nearby and those could
only be used in the summer months. It was a primitive
installation, but served the purposes for what it was built for.
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Medicine Bow Mountains
The Medicine Bow Mountains
are some 30 miles west of Laramie, Wyoming, and are a part of
the magnificent Rocky Mountains; while these mountains are often
referred to as the Snowy Range or the Snowies. The mountain
range extends from the northern region of Colorado's Never
Summer Mountains into the south central parts of Wyoming, and
has been used as a symbol of Laramie. The highest peak is Clark
Peak, 12,951 feet into the sky that sits in the Rawah
Wilderness, along the southern parts of the range in northern
Colorado. Most of it is in the Medicine Bow National Forest, and
the highest peak in Wyoming is the Medicine Bow Peak at 12,013
feet. The waters from these mountains is drained off by the
Michigan and Canadian Rivers, that are tributaries of the North
Platte River in North Park. The eastern side is drained by the
Laramie River, which is also a tributary of the North Platte.
There is a great abundance of wildlife found here, lynx, mule
deer, Richardson's ground squirrels, elk, moose, bobcats, black
bear, marmots, coyotes and mountain lions with many beautiful
birds flying around that they can be seen from the roadside.
Fishing is also plentiful around here, and the main fish are
trout, rainbow and brook, with golden and grayling trout also.
The most favorite method for fishing is the fly-fishing technique
that takes some time to master, but once done, much more popular
than regular bait and spinning poles. There is nothing like
casting that line out, ever so slowly, increasing the line each
time you throw, and watching for that one instant when the trout
lunges out of the water and snaps that fly. Oh, and then to head
ashore with a few to start frying with. No better way to start
the day off in the mountains. Sadly, another strange sight might
behold you when you are trekking through the mountains and that
is the crashed remains of Flight 409, from United, that crashed
here in October of 1955, killing 63 passengers and 3 crew
members.
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Laramie Mountains
The Laramie Mountains are
medium high peaks on the east side of the Rocky Mountain range,
in Wyoming and Colorado, where these peaks are on the north side
of the eastern Rockies between the Laramie range and the
Brighton Mountains, which were the site of the famous Oregon
Trail, the Pony Express route and the Mormon Trail to Utah. They
go from southeast Wyoming up between Laramie and Cheyenne, on
its way to Casper, and named after the river that carves its way
through the southwest to the northeast heading to the North
Platte River in eastern Wyoming. The river joins the North
Platte near the town of Fort Laramie, and is the southern end of
the coniferous forest that exists in the range, and making it
two regions. The southern areas are much drier, and wide open,
with hardly any forestation except for that that sits in the
southern end by Pole Mountain and the surrounding region. Here
you will find magnificent granite outcroppings at Vedauwoo, and
the best place to practice climbing rocks, with some spectacular
picnic and photography scenes. The name Laramie comes from an
early French fur trader with the Northwest Fur Company that came
to the area in the 1820s, and since he was so well liked by his
fellow trappers, the river, mountain, plains, peak and fort was
named after him. He was killed by Indians for allegedly hunting
on their hunting lands, although he had been their friend up
until then. No one knows the complete story, and is now gone
with his memory, other than the naming which followed. His full
name was Jacques La Ramie, and over the years, the name grew
from La Ramie into Laramie.
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