Several ghosts are said to reside at Fort Laramie, which was a beacon of civilization when Wyoming was a prairie within the desert. From soldiers who’ve since ended their days in lots of wars, to the Lady in Green who could be seen riding a black horse every seven years – this historic site has more to supply than simply old buildings.
Fort Laramie National Historic Site, situated in southeastern Wyoming in Goshen County, stands as a ghostly testament to a bygone era, dating back to 1834 when it began as a trading post and diplomatic enclave. Originally generally known as Fort William, it was a vital trading post within the nineteenth century, originally intended to oversee the fur trade.
It was then purchased by the US Army and was often used as a stopping point for migrants on the Oregon Trail on their way west to a brand new home, people going up the California Trail looking for the gold rush, the Mormon Trail, armies stationed there for a time, or fur traders coming and going . This wasn't necessarily the place you were purported to stay, but plainly a number of the souls that passed through here still remain.
Old Bedlam and its history
Old Bedlam, with its time-worn partitions and creaking floorboards, became a point of interest for visitors wanting to glimpse the ghostly secrets of Fort Laramie. Old Bedlam is Wyoming's oldest documented constructing dating back to 1849.
However, it will not be certain why the constructing was called Bedlam. In England at the moment, Bedlam was the word for a lunatic asylum. However, it was not an asylum, but primarily office quarters for bachelors. Although it was really removed from every part else and quite isolated.
The furnishings were sparse and intended to be practical for living together. Native American artifacts from trade and the approaching wars, nevertheless, were extremely popular and were often used for adornment.
The Haunting of Old Bedlam
There have been quite a few reports of encounters with an apparition wearing the insignia of a cavalry officer, who silently walks across the constructing. Cavalry firms have been stationed at Old Bedlam because it served as a frontier army outpost in 1849 and took part within the Civil War, the Bozeman War and the Great Sioux War. The last soldiers left Fort Laramie in 1890.
Did any of those officers remain within the afterlife? Witnesses describe an imposing presence that, despite its ethereal nature, seems to claim authority over the living. Whispered admonitions to “be quiet” echo through the halls of Old Bedlam, as if a ghostly officer was enforcing a long-forgotten order.
George within the constructing of the old captain's quarters
However, Old Bedlam will not be the one haunted constructing. The old Captain's Quarters constructing from 1870 is alleged to be haunted by a ghost. This haunting has reportedly been occurring for years, dating back to when the Fort was used as a military outpost, with many former military members reporting on it.
Strange things are said to occur there, akin to doors opening or the sound of footsteps when nobody comes. The lighting inside the power was also turned on, even without electricity. The ghost was nicknamed George by the crew working there.
Other ghosts haunting the fort
The 1874 cavalry barracks, which housed several hundred soldiers at one time, are also considered haunted. Early within the morning, when the soldiers were about to reply the wake-up call, the sound of heavy boots could possibly be heard over the promenade.
It can be said that there’s a young man in a raincoat who desires to talk over with someone although nobody is there. Although little is understood about him, he is taken into account a ghost.
What appears to be a surgeon in a bloody US Army uniform looks irritated in the world where an old hospital once stood. There will not be much left of the hospital beyond a shell, but it surely is alleged that many men died and their bones are still there nearby.
Behind Old Bedlam and the jail is a small creek generally known as Deer Creek. It is alleged that within the early morning hours the ghost of a person throwing stones into the stream appears there. It is alleged to be unfriendly and to be avoided, and to be headless.
Another ghost left to its own devices is the ghost of the Civil War, operating chaotically southeast of the fort in a spot called Bovee. Pull past the visitor center which opens at midnight. It will not be known whether it was a union or a confederate.
At the detention dam there’s a person with a bloody sword who is alleged to be standing still and looking at the water around midnight.
According to reports and staff, there are also those that claim to have seen the ghost of Portuguese Phillips riding his horse through the fields. This was the famous horseman who brought news of Fetterman's attack to Fort Laramie in 1866.
Lady in green
This historic place is haunted by multiple ghost. Perhaps more famous is the story of the Lady in Green haunting Fort Laramie. This story dates back to when the place was generally known as Fort John and was a fur trading post within the 1830s.
The commander was an agent sent from the fur trading company to live there. He had a fantastic and refined daughter whom he took with him to the desert. She was known to be a very good rider and enjoyed being outdoors with horses. Although in some versions she was only purported to stay for some time, she begged to remain within the Wyoming desert, which she grew to love.
However, in some versions, she was the daughter of the owner of Sutler's Store in Fort Laramie, a licensed one who could sell supplies to the military.
Although her father feared for her safety as a result of robbers on the trail, conflicts with native tribes, and the young woman's distance from “civilized” society, he yielded to his strong-willed daughter, promising him that she would never leave the estate unescorted and entrusting many men with the duty of protecting her , because he wasn't at all times around.
One day he was away from his posts, his daughter slipped away and escaped from the trading post on a big black horse. Two men tried to succeed in her, but she was faster and walked across the prairie and never returned.
When her father returned, he searched all over the place for her with a search party, but she was never found and what happened to her remained a mystery. Did she have an accident, die, or something else? We'll never know, except that she never stopped riding.
Although she didn’t return to the trading post alive, she was still occasionally seen on the nearby prairie, allegedly seven years after her death. Her spirit is alleged to look every seven years east of Fort Laramie and on the Oregon Trail.
The next one will probably be in 2025, because it was once spotted in 2011, and maybe in 2018 as well? In 1976, Cheyenne Westerners even held a midnight party on the fort since it was scheduled to look that yr. They decided to prank the audience by sending a person wrapped in a blanket riding across the grounds.
When he got out, he told friends he would never do it again, claiming he heard ghostly hooves following him. Could it have been the woman in Zielona Street?
She is alone, still riding her stallion. She wears a protracted green riding suit and a hat with a veil and feathers. Her dark hair is tucked underneath where she holds a jeweled whip.
Haunted Fort Laramie
For those that dare to enter this historic enclave, ghost encounters are a poignant reminder that the past, with its tales of triumph and tragedy, doesn’t at all times must remain confined to the annals of history. In the moonlit shadows of Fort Laramie National Historic Site, strange things just like the smell of rosewater and tobacco and the sounds of a horseman at night still puzzle visitors.
Bibliography:
Haunted Fort Laramie, Wyoming – American Legends
Fort Laramie National Historic Site – Wikipedia
Haunted 307: Fort Laramie National Historic Site near Guernsey
The story of the ghost in Fort Laramie
The ghosts of Fort Laramie haunt a historic site in Wyoming
Historically Haunted – Paranormal Housewife
The Haunted Fort Laramie and the Legend of the Lady on the Green
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