Fort Halleck, Wyoming Territory by Zina Abbott

 

Established at the base of Elk Mountain on the northern extremity of the Medicine Bow range in Wyoming Territory, Fort Halleck went into operation on July 20, 1862. The building of the Fort was prompted by the hostile Indian warfare existing on the Plains during the early 1860s. Its primary purpose was to aid in keeping the line of transportation open between the East and the West. That included protecting both Ben Holladay’s Overland Stagecoach travel and the telegraph lines.

11th Ohio Volunteer Calvary

Soldiers of Company A of the 11th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry stationed in Camp Collins in Colorado were dispatched north to build Fort Halleck to protect the trail from Camp Collins to the Green River stage station in the west. 

They named the fort in honor of Major General Henry Wager Halleck commander of the Department of the Missouri and later General-in-chief of the Union armies.

 

Drawing of Fort Halleck by Bugler C. Moellman

The site was located on the north side of Elk Mountain at an elevation of about 7300 feet. It was built near a spring, had plenty of wood, and the region was filled with ample game. The fort complex consisted of stables large enough to hold 200 horses, storehouses, two sets of company quarters, officers’ quarters, a store, a bakehouse, a jail, and a hospital. The buildings consisted of log structures, huts, and dugouts flanking a small parade ground. Native materials from the nearby mountains were used, and some of the structures were made by placing logs upright in the ground close together and then adding a sod roof. The majority, however, were the conventional low profile log cabin style. There is no evidence that the Fort ever had a stockade surrounding it.

The location had its challenges, several involving climate. On March 2, 1863, Lt. Col. William Collins wrote to his superior officer, stationed in Omaha, Nebraska Territory. “It had stormed more or less for two days, and on the third day (Feb. 28) a few hours after leaving camp a terrific storm came on which lasted all day and into the night. The air was so filled with snow that it was often impossible to see ten yards in any direction. … Finding it impossible to kindle a fire on account of the violence of the wind, after a delay of about half an hour the march was resumed.”

Arrows show locations of Ft. Halleck and Rock Creek Station

Though it was considered one of the most dangerous sections of the trail, and the troops were kept busy defending the area, it was also a busy location. In 1864, over 4200 wagons carrying 17,584 emigrants passed the fort, bringing over 50,000 animals.

The trail was at its busiest in 1864 and 1865. During this time, troops were often used as escorts and drivers for the stages. At times in 1864 and 1865 ongoing attacks caused the mail to accumulate at stations in Colorado and at Fort Halleck until it could be transported to Green River via government wagons. 

Busy or not, after just four short years, the fort was abandoned in 1866. By the following year, one traveler described it as “the most dreary place on the entire route.”

For a detailed account of what took place during the years Fort Halleck was in operation, read the account at WyoHistory. 

Location of former Fort Halleck - Map courtesy of Google Maps

Fort Halleck was officially abandoned by the military on July 4, 1866 by then, commanding officer, Captain Henry R. Mizner. He dismantled the Fort and removed the usable materials and supplies to Fort Buford (later Sanders), a newly located post on the Laramie Plains established in anticipation of the forthcoming construction of a transcontinental railroad.

The four year period in which Fort Halleck was in existence represented a critical time in American history. Although short-lived, the Fort filled a vital need in serving the interests of the United States government when maintaining contact with the Western states became an important consideration in the nation's survival.

The only building remaining on the former Fort Halleck site is the Blacksmith’s cabin, a low-roofed log structure. To see images of this building, please CLICK HERE.

 

I have two books set in the region of Elk Mountain and the former Fort Halleck. Both take place about fifteen years after the fort was decommissioned.

Lauren, Book 2 in the Rescue Me (Mail-order Brides) series is largely set in Rock Creek, Wyoming Territory. It was on the original Overland Trail, plus it became a rail stop on the Union Pacific Railroad. To read the book description and find the purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

My Runaway Brides of the West series book, Ellie, has scenes in both Medicine Bow, just north of the Fort Halleck site, and in Como Bluff, across the Medicine Bow River from the town. To read the book description and find the purchase options, please CLICK HERE.

 

 

 

Sources:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=95377

https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-halleck-wyoming/

https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/fort-halleck-and-overland-trail

https://wyoshpo.wyo.gov/index.php/programs/national-register/wyoming-listings/view-full-list/435-fort-halleck

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Halleck_(Wyoming)