Renovations And Upgrades Begin at Fort Caspar

Should you visit Fort Casper, and you should, remember that you are seeing a recreation of the old fort that is now 90 years old.

That time shows the old buildings of Fort Caspar. A recent grant from the National Park Service is funding renovations to preserve the historic landmark. A new drainage system is being added, and old rotten logs are being removed.

Fort Caspar (originally Platte Bridge Station) in Wyoming was established in the mid-19th century to protect travelers, mail, and telegraph lines along the Oregon, California, and Mormon trails. Named after Lieutenant Caspar Collins, who died in the 1865 Battle of Platte Bridge, the post functioned as a critical military outpost until its abandonment in 1867. Today, it serves as a reconstructed historical site and museum operated by the City of Casper. (Casper,Wyo,Gov).

Fort Caspar in Casper, Wyoming, was originally reconstructed in 1936 by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) using 1860s sketches by Lieutenant Caspar Collins. Materials salvaged for other outposts.

In 1936, the City of Casper and the WPA rebuilt replica log structures close to their original locations using period-accurate floor plans. Today, it operates as a living history site and museum that is currently undergoing a massive $1.4 million preservation and log-restoration project.

Today, you can take a tour of the replica, plus the museum that is beside it, with historic events all summer long.

Tour a reconstructed 1865 military post located at a major river crossing on the Oregon, Mormon Pioneer, California, Pony Express, and transcontinental telegraph trail corridor.

Explore central Wyoming’s regional history museum, featuring exhibits on prehistoric peoples, Plains Indians, ranching, the energy industry, and the City of Casper, as well as the western emigrant trails and frontier army.