Fort Bridger

In 1843 he established Fort Bridger, in southwestern Wyoming, as a way station for emigrants traveling westward on the Oregon Trail and as a fur-trading post. (The fort later served the U.S. Army, and it was not abandoned until 1890.) When Mormon “settlers” took over the fort, Bridger entered…

…as Fort Laramie (1834–90) and Fort Bridger (1843–90), both of which provided protection from attacks by Native Americans as well as trading opportunities. The building of the Union Pacific Railroad in the late 1860s led to the founding of several early settlements, including Cheyenne, Laramie, Rawlins, Rock Springs, and Evanston.