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| Adobe ruins, Fort Union New Mexico |
Visiting Old Frontier Forts
A lot can be learned by visiting some of the old west forts that today are National Historical Sites. Some of the best include Fort Stockton in southwest Texas, Fort Union in northeastern New Mexico and Fort Concho in San Angelo Texas, Fort Garland in Colorado, Fort Dodge in Kansas and Fort Reno and Fort Sill in Oklahoma.
These are just a few, but they make are fascinating visits.. Everyone of these former frontier forts feature many artifacts of the old west military days and they allow you to get a good feel for what the duties and everyday life was for a soldier in frontier America.
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| Historic structure, Fort Apache Arizona |
When settlers headed west during the mid 1800's, a lot of this was during the time of the California Gold Rush when tens of thousands of people headed west and two specific army forts were critical in aiding these overland travelers. Those were forts on the Platte Road, often referred to as the Overland Trail... Fort Kearney in Nebraska and Fort Laramie in Wyoming.
Kearney stood as the first well provisioned fort after the journeys were begun, mostly from towns in western Missouri. Laramie stood further west at the junction of the Bozeman Trail which ran northwest to Montana. To be sure, both forts were established to provide a degree of security for the emigrants and that meant to protect them against Indian raids. Many key cavalry soldier battles with Native Americans were fought in the Powder River region of Montana and further south into Wyoming. Two of the most well know of these battles and two which ended in defeat for the U.S. Army were Battle of the Little Bighorn and the Fetterman Massacre. Those were two which seemed to receive the most publicity. The Little Bighorn Battle which occurred about twenty years after the Fetterman Massacre in Wyoming probably received the most. There were many other fierce battles raged at various times from Arizona to Montana to Idaho.
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| Cavalry barracks, Fort Stockton Texas |
Aside from engaging Indians, what some may not realize was that the frontier America soldier also was a common laborer. Aside from actually constructing the forts themselves, they built and improved trails and were responsible for keeping the trails open physically. That meant moving stones and boulders and cutting down trees. It also meant constructing bridges and repairing trails after floods. This was all in addition to risking their lives protecting settlers.
Each new fort was built a bit further west extending the doctrine of Manifest Destiny.Some of these forts were built within stockades for protection and many of them were not. Those not inside stockades were usually a set of structures built around a parade ground. Before these forts were complete and fully occupied they were often referred to as camps. By the same token, a good many forts were built, occupied and then abandoned after not too many years when the army decided they were no longer needed. This progression of course went east to west.
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| Doctor's office, Fort Richardson Texas |
Although it could get sensitive and not relished by the military brass, the frontier soldier became involved in civilian matters on the trail.
One example was an officer serving as judge during a dispute on the Platte Road between two groups of emigrants. The group wanted to split up but couldn’t agree whose property and provisions were ownede by who. A cavalry officer was called in and made the decision himself and the groups traveled on.
Both Kearney and Laramie were well provisioned to sell supplies to the travelers but there were times when the soldiers had to find supplies in emergencies when people found themselves stranded without food. Not all pioneers knew how to stock up for a 2,000 mile journey. Many purchased mules that weren’t fit for such a long trip. In general, many left on the journey ill equipped. A lot of things can go wrong on a long journey through an unforgiving land.
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| Original structure, Fort Reno Oklahoma |
The cavalry soldier also became a quasi lawman when the military was called upon by the locals to hunt down dangerous outlaws. The new small settlements typically had inadequate law enforcement short of vigilante groups and these were many. Mostly the army became involved if there was a high profile crime such as a train robbery. The train carried U.S. mail and from that perspective a case could be made for legal military involvement. By law the U.S. Army was to stay away from civilian disputes and was not to be a law enforcement agency but, considering the unique circumstances on the western frontier, the army had little choice but to be involved to a degree.
Below are links to additional Western Trips photo articles you may enjoy...
Fort Apache Arizona
Fort Union New Mexico
Fort Stockton Texas
Some of the Best Historic Western Forts to Visit Today
Some of the best old west forts that today have large exhibits of the old west and how it related to the frontier American soldier include...Fort Stockton in southwest Texas, Fort Union in northeastern New Mexico, Fort Garland in southern Colorado, Fort Reno in central Oklahoma, Fort Sill in southern Oklahoma, Fort Richardson just to the northwest of the Dallas/Fort Worth area and Fort Apache in eastern Arizona.
(Article and photos copyright 2013 Western Trips)
