Fort Laramie, WY (by Cindy Sheeley) June 12th, 2024 — Historic preservations at the Fort Laramie National Historical Site are an ongoing challenge and fight against time. Current missions to preserve historical buildings for future generations are constantly at war with buildings that weren’t ever meant to last beyond the fort’s abandonment.
Each year several buildings at Fort Laramie undergo restoration and rehabilitation projects. However, the need for these projects is constantly at war with time and resources.
Beginning in May, the National Park Service maintenance team at Fort Laramie began a large repair project on the Old Bedlam, the oldest military structure in the state of Wyoming. This project was the replacement of the building’s lower and upstairs porches.
The fort’s Chief of Maintenance, Anders Schulte, ensured the wood’s historical accuracy by using Douglas Fir with the original ‘tongue and groove’ placement.
“Every one of the boards used had to be custom cut.” Chief of Interpretation and Visitor Service Casey Osback said. “They did all of the ‘tongue and groove’ work in our shop, and they tried to stay as authentic as possible.”
As of the end of May, the lower porch had been finished. Currently, the team is still working on the upstairs area. When the project is complete, the wood will be stained, most likely with linseed oil.
“That porch has been reworked many times,” Osback said. “I can’t remember the last time they put new porches on that building, but I would assume it’s probably been 20 to 30 years. It’s been quite a while since the last project was done.”
For this summer, there are several other projects on the docket.
“We’re going to do more work on Bedlam,” Osback explained. “That upper portion is going to get worked on. They’re also going to put a new roof on the Post Bakery and the 1866 Guard House. And then they’re going to work on Quarters A.”
They are also working on patching lime grout on the 1873 Post Hospital and planning to replace the flagpole.
According to Osback, the flagpole was last replaced in 1975. The poles were from trees from Laramie Peak.
“To replace the flagpole, we’re going to see if we can work with the Forest Service to keep things accurate,” he said. “It’s going to be a big multi-agency effort when it happens.”
Each year, the National Park Service does regular maintenance on all of the structures to help preserve them. However, these larger projects have to await funding. This year the funding for these projects was approved.
The constant care of this site helps ensure its existence for future generations.
