Fort Bridger

FACT: The Fort Bridger Rendezvous is held annually on Labor Day Weekend. Mountain Men and Native Americans gather to trade and celebrate as they did in the 1800s.

In 1843, a fur trapper-turned-trader named Jim Bridger built this fort with his partner, Louis  Vasquez. The traders and their wives provided needed supplies to emigrants bound for Oregon,
Utah and California.

In 1853, the fort became the property of the Mormon Church. The Church modified the wooden structures and built a 15-foothigh stone wall around the trading post. In 1857, during the socalled
“Utah” or “Mormon” War, Brigham Young ordered the post burned to the ground. In 1857, the military became the owners of the fort and staffed the outpost until 1890.

Fort Bridger is in the beautiful Black’s Fork Valley, an oasis in the desert. At Fort Bridger, you can see the Pony Express and Stage Station where Mark Twain and Horace Greeley dined. You can also tour intact buildings constructed by the military and see a reconstruction of Bridger’s Trading Post. The trading post and fort museum are open daily.

Getting There

From I-80, take Exit 34 south and travel about three miles to the fort entrance. A small visitor fee is charged at the gate. 

For more information visit:
www.wyoparks.state.wy.us