BUSHNELL] VILLAGES WEST OF THE MISSISSIPPI 69 
Fort Laramie was reached by the Stansbury expedition on July 
12, 1849, after advancing about 100 miles beyond the Oglala villages 
passed six days before. The fort stood on the emigrant road, and 
was likewise a great gathering place of the neighboring Indians. 
An interesting account of the visit of a party of emigrants just four 
years before is preserved: ‘“ Our camp is stationary to-day; part of 
the emigrants are shoeing their horses and oxen; others are trading 
at the fort and with the Indians . . . In the afternoon we gave the 
Indians a feast, and held a long talk with them. Each family, as 
they could best spare it, contributed a portion of bread, meat, coffee 
or sugar, which being cooked, a table was set by spreading buffalo 
skins upon the ground, and arranging the provisions upon them. 
Around this attractive board, the Indian chiefs and their principal 
men seated themselves, occupying one fourth of the circle; the re- 
mainder of the male Indians made out the semi-circle; the rest of 
the circle was completed by the whites. The squaws and younger 
Indians formed an outer semi-circular row immediately behind their 
dusky lords and fathers.” (Palmer, (1), pp. 25-26.) This was 
June 25, 1845, and the account of the gathering of emigrants and 
Indians is followed by a brief description of the fort itself which 
is of equal interest: ‘“‘ Here are two forts. Fort Laramie, situated 
upon the west side of Laramie’s fork, two miles from Platte river, 
belongs to the North American Fur Company. The fort is built of 
adobes. The walls are about two feet thick, and twelve or fourteen 
feet high, the tops being picketed or spiked. Posts are planted in 
these walls, and support the timber for the roof. They are then 
covered with mud. In the centre is an open square, perhaps twenty- 
five yards each way, along the sides of which are ranged the dwell- 
ings, store rooms, smith shop, carpenter’s shop, offices, &c., all front- 
ing upon the inner area. There are two principal entrances; one at 
the north, the other at the south.” (Op. cit., pp. 27-28.) Outside 
the fort proper, on the eastern side, stood the stables, and a short 
distance away was a field of about 4 acres where corn was planted, 
“by way of experiment.” About 1 mile distant was a similar though 
smaller structure called Fort John. It was then owned and occupied 
by a company from St. Louis, but a few months later it was pur- 
chased by the North American Fur Company and destroyed. Such 
were the typical “ forts,’ on and beyond the frontier during the 
past century. 
The Indians would gather about the fort, their skin tipis standing 
in clusters over the surrounding prairie. Such groups are shown 
in plate 24, a,b. These two very interesting photographs were made 
during the visit of the Indian Peace Commission to Fort Laramie in 
1868, and it is highly probable the tipis shown in the pictures were 
