Fort Bridger Military Fort

When we arrived at Fort Bridger yesterday, we were just in time to join a guided tour of the grounds.  Our guide was one of the archeologists who were slowly uncovering the military fort that occupied the grounds adjacent to the original Fort Bridger.

The grounds were divided by this stream into two sections.  

On one side of the stream, the officers lived in a row of houses surrounded by a picket fence and with a boardwalk along the front.  The sizes and interiors of the the houses changed with the officers' ranks.  As higher ranked officers moved into the fort, junior officers changed houses.  The lowest ranking guy had to move across the stream into a tent.  Their wives never knew if they were going to have or keep a house.  They had to be very tough women! 

The lowest rank occupied single story buildings with four officers to a building.

Middle ranks lived in two story duplexes.  (This is half a duplex.  After the fort was abandoned the wooden buildings were moved or torn down for use in other buildings. Two people bought this building, split it in half and moved it in different directions.)

No carpet,

plainer furnishings.

Commanding officer's house

Carpeted stairs,

silver service 

rugs, nicer furnishings

All the houses did have nice outhouses.

Across the stream the infantry lived in long barracks, 65 men to a building.  There were six barracks on the grounds, three laid end to end on either side of the parade grounds.  They were delineated by log outlines indicating their original sites and future dig sites.

On the side across from the officers quarters the fort buildings were located, including the commisary, 

and guard house/jail.

Pity the poor officer who had to pitch his tent on this side of the stream!

Part 3 to come,

Louise and Duane