Fort Bridger in Uinta County, Wyoming — The American West (Mountains)

Women at the Trading Post

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 10, 2015

1. Women at the Trading Post Marker

Inscription. This archaeological excavation has helped to document the prominent roll Native American women played in the day-to-dat activities of the trading post. They traded with travelers, provided food for guests, and at times, actually ran the post.
Needles, pins, and stone tools were recovered from the floor of one of the structures. Along side these tools, beads and buttons from women's clothing and a solitary women's wedding band were found on the dirt floor of the trading post. Women living here between 1843 and 1853 labored to tan hides, manufacture and repair clothes, and grind wild seeds and newly introduced wheat. The contributions women to the economy of the trading post cannot be overlooked.

"Here are about twenty-five Indians, or rather white trapper lodges occupied by their Indian wives. They have a good supply of robes, dressed deer, elk and antelope skins, coats, pants, moccasins, and other Indian fixing, which they trade..." -- Joel Palmer, 1845

Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Anthropology & Archaeology • Indigenous Peoples and Communities • Women.

Location. 41° 19.061′ N, 110° 23.586′ W. Marker is in Fort Bridger, Wyoming, in Uinta County. It can be reached from Business

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U.S. 80 near Main Street, on the left when traveling west. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Fort Bridger WY 82933, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Regionally, this marker is in Wyoming’s Uinta Mountains

and in the Westward Expansion Trails Region.

It is also in the American Mountain West.

Globally, it is in North America,

the Rocky Mountains,

the Western Hemisphere,

the Western World,

and the Anglosphere.

Historically, it finds itself in what was once Mexico’s Alta California.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Mormon Occupation (here, next to this marker); Fort Bridger: A Trading Post (a few steps from this marker); The Mormon Wall (within shouting distance of this marker); Post Commissary (within shouting distance of this marker); Old Guardhouse (within shouting distance of this marker); Infantry Barracks (Museum) (within shouting distance of this marker); Digging Up the Past (within shouting distance of this marker); The Road to Zion (about 400 feet away, measured in a direct line). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Bridger.

More about this marker. This marker is located on the grounds of Fort Bridger Historic Site near the museum. Obtain a map at the entrance or museum.

Additional keywords. women

Photographed by Barry Swackhamer, September 10, 2015

2. Women at the Trading Post Marker

This marker is next to the white building on the right near the right end of the railing.

Credits. This page was last revised on June 16, 2016. It was originally submitted on November 15, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California. This page has been viewed 432 times since then and 14 times this year. Photos: 1, 2. submitted on November 15, 2015, by Barry Swackhamer of Brentwood, California.