Bozman Trail

Bozeman Trail (1863-1868) - The Bozeman trail started at Fort Laramie on the North Platte river, ran northwest across the headwaters of the Powder and Tongue rivers, skirted the east side of the Big Horn mountains then crossing the Little Horn and other tributaries to the Big Horn at Fort C.F. Smith (1), passed around the northernmost spurs of the Big Horn and Pryor mountains and then cutting across the Clark's fork and other steams from the Beartooth mountains. It finally reached the Yellowstone river east of the present Livingston. From there by the Bozeman pass, it finally gained the Gallatin valley from whence the trail merged with others going to Virginia City, Montana.



(F) 44.532225, -106.826205, Fort Phil Kearny (1866-1868) (F) 42.202232, -104.558172, Fort Laramie (1834-1890) (F) 42.837025, -106.371582, Fort Casper (1862-1867) (F) 42.843531, -105.486302, Fort Fetterman (1867-1882) (F) 45.314555, -107.908616, Fort C.F. Smith (1) (1866-1868) (F) 43.8274, -106.2404, Fort Reno (2) Fort Conner (1865-1868) (F) 43.7846, -106.2558, Fort Reno (New) Reno Station Depot Fort McKinney Cantonment Reno (1876-1877) (F) 44.332659, -106.740975, Fort McKinney (1876-1894) (F) 45.66923, -110.975475, Fort Ellis (1867-1886) (X) 45.294167, -111.941111, Virginia City, Montana

History of the Bozeman Trail
John M. Bozeman and John Jacobs first marked out the trail in the winter of 1862 and 1863. They were captured by Indians who set them adrift after taking all their arms and provisions. They reached Fort Laramie almost starved, having been reduced to a diet of grasshoppers. The same spring Bozeman undertook to bring a large party of freighters over the route from the east. The Indians attacked them and most of the party turned back and made the trip over the longer route to the west of the Big Horns but Bozeman and nine men, traveling by night, made their way by the Bozeman trail to the mines.

During the next two years, scores of caravans, several of which Bozeman accompanied, made their way across this shortest and most favored route. Once Bozeman and Bridger, who had blazed the safer trail to the west of the Big Horn mountains, ran a race which Bozeman won by a few hours although Bridger had two weeks head start. The Indians bitterly contested the passage across their favorite hunting grounds and many travelers paid with their lives for their temerity in invading the country north of the Platte.

Experience proved however, that large and well organized parties, well furnished with guns and ammunition and alert and on guard were seldom molested. One train of nearly 500 men, women and children crossed the trail in July, 1864. Often these large caravans came across burned wagons and slain men or oxen by the wayside.

In response to the hostile Indian attacks the U.S. Army built a series of forts along the Bozeman trail beginning with Fort Casper (1862-1867), Fort Phil Kearny (1866-1868), Fort C.F. Smith (1) (1866-1868), Fort Fetterman (1867-1882), Fort Reno (2) (186?-1868) and Fort Ellis (1867-1886). Fort Casper moved to Fort Fetterman when it was completed in 1867.

The US Army reopened the trail in 1876 after the Black Hills War ended.

See Also:
 * Bozeman Trail Category

Sources:
 * Wikipedia - Bozeman Trail