The fort was founded as a private trading-post in the 1830s to service the overland fur trade; in 1849, it was purchased by the United States Army.

The site was located east of the long climb leading to the best and lowest crossing-point over the Rocky Mountains at South Pass and became a popular stopping-point for migrants on the Oregon Trail.

Along with Bent's Fort on the Arkansas River, the trading post and its supporting industries and businesses were the most significant economic hub of commerce in the region.

In 1815 or 1816, Jacques La Ramee and a small group of fellow trappers settled in the area where Fort Laramie would later be located.

[5][6] The fort was located near the confluence of two rivers, so it commanded a broad plain with water on two sides; these formed a partial natural moat.

By the time the westward migration along the Oregon Trail had markedly increased, the US Army had become tenants in the fort as well.

On the opposite bank, the town of Fort Laramie, developed (both were later renamed to match the river's eponym).

The strategic site on the eastern plains also had large grazing areas, where migrants could rest their draft animals before tackling the mountains.

In 1845, the nearby Fort Bernard was established about 8 miles (13 km) east, farther down the North Platte River, in hopes of getting some of the growing Emigrant Trail trade with western bound wagon trains.

The fort was purchased from Bruce Husband, a member of the American Fur Company, for $4,000 in June 1849 by US Army Lt. Daniel P. Woodbury on behalf of the United States Government.

[7] By 1849, gold seekers had joined the Oregon-bound settlers and Mormons heading to Utah, and westward travelers were estimated to number between 20,000 and 40,000 in 1849.

The fort itself occupied a location where the westward trail diverged in the direction of either Oregon, Salt Lake City or California.

Based on contemporary accounts travelers would remain at the fort several days to mail letters, exchange or purchase cattle, replenish their provisions and reset wagon tires.

In 1851, the first Treaty of Fort Laramie was signed,[5]: 168–182  resulting in relatively peaceful relations between the whites and the Native Americans during the 1850s, though troops from the fort made up the small force that was killed during the Grattan massacre of 1854 under the command of Second Lieutenant John Lawrence Grattan.

Fort Laramie was never seriously threatened by Indian attacks during the quarter-century of intermittent warfare sparked by the Grattan massacre.

This store provided supplies for all sorts of people including the Army, Native Americans, and pioneers traveling west.

Throughout the years the fort was running, numerous additions were added to the Post Traders store and complex.

[13] With the outbreak of the American Civil War in 1861, the troops at Fort Laramie were withdrawn to fight the Confederate States Army in the east.

To take their place, a series of volunteer regiments soon arrived at Fort Laramie, including the 11th Ohio Cavalry, serving until they were mustered out in 1866.

His entire unit had been killed in a fight with the Sioux under Red Cloud, and he had ridden to get reinforcements for Fort Phil Kearny.

In the late 1860s, the fort was the primary staging ground for the United States in the Powder River Country during Red Cloud's War.

[15] The original abandonment order was issued in 1889, and four of the infantry companies stationed there at that time went to Fort Logan, near Denver, Colorado that fall.

In March 1890, about 30 cavalry soldiers and civilian mechanics under the command of Lt. C. W. Taylor arrived at the fort and removed doors, windows, flooring, and any other material from the buildings that was thought to be of value to the government.

The NPS identified 36 significant physical remains that provide the background for the events and the people associated with Fort Laramie.