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About Fort Bridger
Fort Bridger was established in 1842 by Jim Bridger on the Blacks Fork River, in an alpine valley just north of the peaks of the Uinta Mountains. The valley today is called Bridger Valley. Later on Fort Bridger became an important supply point for travelers on the Oregon Trail, the California Trail, and the Mormon Trail, all of which passed this point and separated further west. In 1855 the Fort was sold to the LDS Church which called it Fort Supply and operated it until 1858 when Johnston’s Army came to put down a supposed Mormon rebellion in Utah. The army occupied it until 1890. Today the fort, as rebuilt by the U.S. Army, is operated as a state historical site. A small ranching town has sprung up next to the fort.
The Bridger Valley is a grassland area at a high elevation where the growing season is short, and the main crop is hay for cattle. The snow-capped peaks of the Uintas are prominently visible to the south, and creeks such as the Blacks Fork bring spring runoff which keeps the area green. Further north the hilly terrain is covered with sagebrush. The Uintas are a popular resort for camping and hiking.
The Lincoln Highway was the first transcontinental highway built by the federal government, and it passed through Fort Bridger. The highway later became U.S. Highway 30 South, which was later replaced by Interstate 80. Today the road is designated Business Route 80. It leads east to Urie and Lyman, and to the west it rejoins the freeway in a few miles.
Fort Bridger is an unincorporated community. The population was 400 at the 2000 census. The elevation is 6,675 feet.
For More Information:
See Wikipedia’s article on Fort Bridger.