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Fort Stambaugh
(1870-1878) - When gold was discovered in the Wind River
Valley, numerous mining camps, including
South Pass City,
Atlantic City and Miner's
Delight were established in what became
known as the Sweetwater Mining District. A post,
first called
Camp Augur, then known as Camp Brown,
was built in 1869 where Lander is located today. However, it
was not enough to protect the settlers against the
raiding Indians. On May 4, 1870, First
Lieutenant Charles B. Stambaugh was shot from his horse by
a band of warriors as he was helping defend a party of
freighters. As a tribute to him, another sub-post was
established about eight miles north of the Sweetwater River
between Atlantic City and the Oregon-California Trail in
June, 1870. Established by Major James S. Brisbin and the
2nd U.S. Cavalry, it was first called Camp Stambaugh. A few
months later it became a permanent post and was renamed Fort Stambaugh.
Eight years later, when the
mines were beginning to close, people were leaving the area
and the Indian hostilities had decreased.
The fort was abandoned on August 17, 1878 and was transferred
to the Interior Department in May, 1881.Today, all that's left
of the fort is a historic marker near
South Pass City,
Wyoming.
Fort Washakie
(1869-1909) - First known as
Camp Augur, this sub-post of Fort Bridger was established
Lieutenant Patrick Henry Breslin and troops from the 4th U.S.
Infantry on June 28, 1869 where Lander now sits. Less
than a year later, it was reorganized as a separate post on
March 28, 1870 and renamed Camp Brown after Captain Frederick
H. Brown, who was killed in the Fetterman Massacre. The
original site was abandoned 1871 and moved fifteen miles
northwest of Lander onto the Wind River Indian Reservation. It
continued to be called Camp Brown until December, 1878, when it was renamed to Fort Washakie in
honor of the last chief of the Eastern Shoshone
tribe, Chief Washakie. It continued to serve as a military
post until 1909.
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