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History · Fort Bridger

Fort Bridger dates to 1843, and 3 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Fort Bridger was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 2003. Its Register listings are the ERT Bridge over Black's Fork, the Black and Orange Cabins and the Fort Bridger. Below: 8 old photos and papers, maps from 1964 on, and the census since 2000.

1843founded
3on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
8old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fort Bridger’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fort Bridger began

When was Fort Bridger founded?

1843

Fort Bridger dates its founding to 1843 (Wikipedia’s history). The census first counted it in 2000.

First census: 400 in 20002020 census: 354183 years
Founding year: Wikipedia. First post office: 1850.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Bridger’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

Deep rootsEstablished in 1843: 183 years of Fort Bridger.
★ What stands out · Timeline

Fort Bridger, 1843 to 1964

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1843
    FoundingFort Bridger is established
  3. 1850Post officeThe Fort Bridger post office opens
  4. 1859In the archiveFort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming]
  5. 1868In the archiveChurch Buttes - near Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory
  6. 20th century
  7. 1928BuiltFort Bridger is built
  8. 1940In the archiveFort Bridger, Wyoming
  9. 1964On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
The story

How Fort Bridger came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Bridger.

Read it all →

Fort Bridger was established in 1843 by Jim Bridger and Louis Vasquez. It served as a trading post for those who were traveling westward along the Oregon Trail, as well as LDS Pioneers, the Pony Express, the Lincoln Highway, and the transcontinental railroad. The fort was also commonly used to trade with the local Native Americans.

The fort was not very glamorous, it was even a disappointment to most travelers. It was simply two log cabins about 40 feet (12 m) in length connected by a fence to hold horses. Most visitors complained about insufficient supplies and it being overpriced. They did, however, have a blacksmith's shop that many travelers took advantage of.

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

By decade

Fort Bridger, decade by decade

3 decades in the archive, from the 1850s to the 1940s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1850s–1860s2 items
Fort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming]1859Fort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming]Church Buttes - near Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory1868Church Buttes - near Fort Bridger, Wyoming Territory
1940s6 items
Fort Bridger, Wyoming1940Fort Bridger, WyomingFort Bridger, Wyoming1940Fort Bridger, WyomingMess hall. Fort Bridger, Wyoming1940Mess hall. Fort Bridger, WyomingMess hall. Fort Bridger, Wyoming1940Mess hall. Fort Bridger, WyomingPony Express stables at Fort Bridger, Wyoming1940Pony Express stables at Fort Bridger, WyomingFirst school in state at Fort Bridger, Wyoming1940First school in state at Fort Bridger, Wyoming
1950s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
Today6 recent
Motel units that saw their better days years ago2016Motel units that saw their better days years agoLong-abandoned motel in the town of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, near the historical attraction of the same name2016Long-abandoned motel in the town of Fort Bridger, Wyo…Long-abandoned motel in the town of Fort Bridger, Wyoming, near the historical attraction of the same name2016Long-abandoned motel in the town of Fort Bridger, Wyo…House that makes liberal use of wagon wheels in the town of Fort Bridger, Wyoming2016House that makes liberal use of wagon wheels in the t…There are assuredly vacancies in these motel units2016There are assuredly vacancies in these motel unitsWYMap-doton-FortBridger2004WYMap-doton-FortBridger
On the map

Fort Bridger on the map, 1964 to 1978

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Bridger. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fort Bridger on the 1964 USGS mapFort Bridger on the 1978 USGS map1964Fort Bridger sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort Bridger.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Fort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming]
Retake this viewFort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming], 1859

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fort Bridger’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

3 historic places in Fort Bridger

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving.

places listed
3
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
18
each building in a district counts
first listed
1969
Fort Bridger
ERT Bridge over Black's ForkBlack and Orange CabinsFort Bridger, built 1928
BuildingsSitesStructures
ERT Bridge over Black's ForkStructure
Black and Orange CabinsBuilding
All 3 listings
Fort BridgerSite · listed 1969

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

People over time

Fort Bridger, census by census

010020030040020002020Peak: 400

Between 345 and 400 people in every census since 2000.

3 censuses, 2000–2020.

U.S. Census Bureau decennial counts, from the census table on Fort Bridger’s Wikipedia page.

Famous people

Famous people close to Fort Bridger

Nobody well known was born in Fort Bridger itself, so here are the best known from just nearby.

See all →
Dana PerinoAmerican conservative political commentator and… · b. 1972
Edgar HerschlerAmerican politician · b. 1918
John BuckAmerican baseball player, 2004-2014 major leagu… · b. 1980
K
Kirby HeyborneAmerican actor · b. 1976
Brady PoppingaAmerican football player · b. 1979
Merrill BradshawAmerican composer · b. 1929
Places that used to be

Old burying grounds

Fort Bridger’s post office has been open since 1850.

3cemeteries and burying grounds inside Fort Bridger
CarterFort BridgerThornburgh Gravesite

US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock, CC0). Places and cemeteries from the USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021).

Help out

Finish Fort Bridger’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewFort Bridger, Utah Territory [Wyoming]: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Fort Bridger’s history

What year was Fort Bridger founded?

In 1843, according to Wikipedia’s history of the town. Fort Bridger’s post office opened in 1850, and the census of 2000 counted 400 people here.

What is on the National Register in Fort Bridger?

Three places: the ERT Bridge over Black's Fork (listed 1985), the Black and Orange Cabins (2020) and the Fort Bridger (1969).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (2), the Library of Congress (12), the National Register of Historic Places (3), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, U.S. Census counts (via Wikipedia), the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.