Fort Bridger

History

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 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. After 1857, Judge William A. Carter was given a 20 star American flag to fly over the fort. By 1858, Fort Bridger became a military outpost. Today, Fort Bridger is a historic site. Jim Bridger’s trading post is reconstructed, along with other historic buildings from the military. There is also a museum with gift shops available for visitors.

Geography

Fort Bridger is located at (41.318716, -110.386418). According to the United States Census Bureau, the CDP has a total area of 2.0 square miles (5.2 km2), all land.

Race & ethnicity

Most-observed species

• Black-billed Magpie

  Pica hudsonia (Sabine, 1823) · Aves
  371
• Common Raven

  Corvus corax Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  289
• House Sparrow

  Passer domesticus (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  210
• European Starling

  Sturnus vulgaris Linnaeus, 1758 · Aves
  179
• Golden Eagle

  Aquila chrysaetos (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  176
• Sandhill crane

  Grus canadensis (Linnaeus, 1758) · Aves
  166
• Eurasian Collared-Dove

  Streptopelia decaocto (Frivaldszky, 1838) · Aves
  155
• Brewer's Blackbird

  Euphagus cyanocephalus (Wagler, 1829) · Aves
  148

Largest nearby schools

• Mountain View K-8
  Elementary · Mountain View · 504 students · 10.5:1 ratio
• Urie Elementary
  Elementary · Lyman · 247 students · 13:1 ratio
• Mountain View High School
  High · Mountain View · 244 students · 12.8:1 ratio
• Lyman Intermediate School
  Middle · Lyman · 243 students · 14.3:1 ratio
• Lyman High School
  High · Lyman · 235 students · 16.8:1 ratio

Most recent

• M 3.39 — 2026-09-15
  3 km NNW of Little America, Wyoming
• M 3.79 — 2026-09-12
  22 km NE of Granger, Wyoming
• M 3 — 2026-09-03
  2 km NNW of Little America, Wyoming
• M 2.98 — 2026-08-28
  3 km NW of Little America, Wyoming
• M 3.12 — 2026-08-21
  2 km NNW of Little America, Wyoming
• M 3.29 — 2026-08-11
  2 km NW of Little America, Wyoming