Enlisted Men's Barracks

Enlisted Men's Barracks. . Two stone foundations and chimneys remain of the five enlisted men's barracks once at Fort Fred Steele. The walls were constructed of logs and boards and battens while a shingled roof protected pine floor boards. Tar paper covered interior walls. Kitchens doubled as mess and washrooms, and iron bedsteads took up most of the floor space. , Enlisted life in the frontier army could only be characterized as boring, with inadequate salaries and a monotonous diet. Most soldiers spent their days drilling and digging ditches. Social activities for enlisted men were limited and alcohol consumption prompted periodic orders from the commanding officer restricting saloon activities. , In 1892 the barracks buildings, sold at auction with other fort structures, were purchased by private citizens. Only the two central barracks remained when the first transcontinental auto road, the Lincoln Highway, passed through the town of Fort Steele in the 1920's. The road bridged the Platte River directly north of the town and passed close by the old army barracks, one of which was given a new function as a gasoline station. , The last two barracks were destroyed by fires set by vandals on New Year's Eve, 1976.