In 1859, Louis Guinard built a bridge and trading post at the site of today’s Fort Caspar. This post served as an overnight stage stop, Pony Express mail stop and telegraph office. Two years later, a volunteer cavalry company was ordered to Guinard’s Bridge to guard against the increasingly frequent Indian Raids. Between 1862 and 1865, this outpost, known as Platte Bridge Station, was outfitted as a one-company military post.

Sioux and Cheyenne warriors, including Red Cloud, Old Man Afraid of His Horses, Roman Nose, Dull Knife, and White Bull, decided to eliminate Platte Bridge Station in July 1865.
Lt. Caspar Collins was sent out to escort a small military wagon train under Sgt. Amos Custard which was coming in from Sweetwater Station. After the soldiers crossed the bridge, they were overwhelmed by the Indian warriors. Collins’ men fought their way back across the bridge but several men, including Collins, were lost.

Shortly after this battle, the Army officially named the outpost Fort Caspar, in honor of the fallen lieutenant. The fort, abandoned in 1867, was reconstructed on the original site in 1936 using sketches made by Caspar Collins in 1863.

Ownership
Public. Owned by the city of Casper, WY.

Directions
Natrona County, Wyoming. T33N/R79W.

Located on the west side of Casper, just off Mills Spur Road (Wyoming Boulevard). Visitors arriving from I-25 should take the Poplar Street exit. Fort Caspar is ½ mile north of Wyoming Route 220 and ½ mile south of US 20-26. Signs exist on both routes directing you to the site.

National Park Service Comprehensive Management Plan
There are no known threats to this reconstructed fort.

The site is listed on the National Register.

Additional Information
Fort Caspar Museum
4001 Fort Caspar Road
Casper, WY 82604
307.235.8462
Note: Caspar Collins spelled his name with an "A" and that is correctly preserved in the name of the fort. When the town grew up around the old fort, a mistake was made in the spelling, leading to the town being spelled with an "E" (Casper). In naming the fort, the authorities chose to use his first name because his father had recently been honored at Fort Collins in Colorado.