Fort Bernard, Wyoming, was a small trading post along the Oregon Trail about eight miles southeast of Fort John (later Fort Laramie). Situated along the North Platte River, it was established in 1845 at Sarpy’s Point, the site of a short-lived trading post built by Peter Sarpy in 1837. It was first owned by Bernard Pratte and Jean Pierre Cabanne, who operated the Pratte & Cabanne Company. Previously, the company operated Fort Platte from 1843 to 1845 on the west side of Fort John, but abandoned it in 1845 and enlisted Joseph Bissonette to move the operation east to attract travelers on the Oregon Trail before they reached Fort John.

The new trading post was named Fort Bernard for either the owner or his father, General Bernard Pratte, a fur trader in his own time. In December 1845, the fort was sold to Pierre Chouteau, Jr., and Company and placed under the control of Joseph Bissonette and another trader, John Baptiste Richard, Sr. Richard ran the business, and Bissonette visited the Indians in their camps. The fort was also known as Richard’s Post.

Fort Bernard’s very presence irritated the American Fur Company’s Fort John, just as Fort Platte had. Worse, Fort Bernard undersold its powerful rival by up to 30-40%. It was also located on the Trappers’ Trail, which connected it to Bent’s Fort in Colorado to the South.

On June 26, 1846, the members of the ill-fated Donner Party arrived at Fort Bernard along with members of the William Henry Russell party. The next day, a mountain man named James Clyman, with a long history in the fur trade and a keen knowledge of the country, came upon James Reed. The two had served in the same regiment in the Black Hawk War. Reed was holding Hastings’ Guide at the time, and Clyman, who had just crossed the route with Hastings heading East, warned Reed and the Donner brothers to “stick to the main road.” Unfortunately, Reed was unpersuaded, leading to the Donner tragedy. 

In August, while John Richard was in Pueblo, Colorado, buying supplies, and Joseph Bissonette was trading in Indian villages, Fort Bernard was burned to the ground. Some suspected men at rival Fort John set the fire, but this was never proved.

The post was not immediately rebuilt, but in 1849, Joseph Bissonette partnered with James Bordeaux and Charles Primeau and built a new post on or near the site of Fort Bernard. The new trading post was also known as Fort Bernard.

On August 19, 1854, the Grattan Massacre occurred near the trading post, marking the beginning of 3½ decades of intermittent warfare with Native Americans on the northern Plains.

The fort continued to thrive until 1866, when it burned down again. This time, it was never rebuilt.

Today, the Western History Center, based in Lingle, Wyoming, conducts archaeological work at the Fort Bernard site.

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.

Also See:

Explorers, Traders & Trappers

Forts of Wyoming

Forts Across America

Wyoming – The Cowboy State

Sources:

Historic Wyoming
Nebraska History
North American Forts
Wikipedia