Some Gave All: Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie Wyoming

Some Gave All: Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie Wyoming:

Ivinson Memorial Hospital, Laramie Wyoming

Residents of Laramie are well familiar with Ivinson Memorial Hospital, but may not be aware that it was originally located across from the University of Wyoming campus.

This memorial commemorates the building of the hospital in 1916, and depicts what the original structure looked like.

 

Oregon Trail and Bill Hooker Markers, Converse County, Wyoming.

This spot along Wyoming State Highway 96 in Converse County, Wyoming has two historical markers, one for the Oregon Trail and another for pioneer Bill Hooker.

The Oregon Trail marker is unusual in that it isn't located on the Oregon Trail, but four miles to the south of the course of the trail. This would place the rail on State Highway 91, which was discussed in a memorial we posted earlier this week.  The State must have saw fit to place a marker on the more traveled Highway 93, which is near where the Interstate Highway presently is.  The same marker notes the location of Ft. Fetterman, seven miles to the north.  The marker was placed in 1943, by which time the older highway was no doubt more or less only a county road.

The same location also has a marker for pioneer freighter Bill Hooker, who later authored a book about his experiences as a bull whacker in Wyoming.  There is also apparently a marker at Hookers old cabin, which I wasn't aware of at the time that I took this photo. This 1931 marker predates the Oregon Trail marker.

Hooker was still living at the time that this marker was placed and the man responsible for placing it, F. W. LaFrentz, was a pioneer in his own right, being an early member of the legislature and being in the Territorial Legislature.  He's was the man who introduced the petition for statehood in the Territorial Legislature.

Junction of the Oregon Trail and Fetterman Road, Converse County, Wyoming.

These photographs depict the 1916 dated memorial to the junction of the Oregon Trail and the Fetterman Road.

The monument is located on Cold Springs Road, State Highway 91, just outside of Douglas, Wyoming, on a road that obviously saw more traffic in former days.  As these photographs attest to, the monument has endured significant weathering over the years.

Indeed, it's now very hard to read.

The monument states:

THIS MONUMENT

marks the junction

of the Oregon Trail

and road to Old Ft.

Fetterman nine

miles north of this

spot established

July 19, 1867 abandoned

May 2, 1882. 

Erected by the State

Of Wyoming and

citizens of Converse

County to commemorate

the early history of

Wyoming

1916

This would place the monument in the early series of Wyoming historical markers, a large number of which were located along the Oregon Trail.

Ft. Halleck, sort of. Near Elk Mountain Wyoming

Where Ft. Halleck was, from a great distance.

This set of photographs attempts to record something from a very great distance, and with the improper lenses.   I really should have known better, quite frankly, and forgot to bring the lense that would have been ideal.  None the less, looking straight up the center of this photograph, you'll see where Ft. Halleck once was.

The post was located at the base of Elk Mountain on the Overland Trail, that "shortcut" alternative to the Oregon Trail that shaved miles, at the expense of convenience and risk.  Ft. Halleck was built in 1862 to reduce the risk.  Whomever located the post must have done so in the summer, as placing a post on this location would seem, almost by definition, to express a degree of ignorance as to what the winters here are like.

 The area to the northeast of where Ft. Halleck once was.

The fort was only occupied until 1866, although it was a major post during that time.  Ft. Sanders, outside the present city of Laramie, made the unnecessary and to add to that, Sanders was in a more livable 

Of course, by that time the Union Pacific was also progressing through the area, and that would soon render the Overland Trail obsolete.  While not on an identical path the Overland Trail and the Union Pacific approximated each others routes and, very shortly, troops would be able to travel by rail.

As that occured, it would also be the case that guarding the railroad would become a more important function for the Army, and forts soon came to be placed on it.

Elk Mountain

And, therefore, Ft. Halleck was abandoned.