Fort Reno (Johnson County, near Sussex, Wyoming)
Johnson County, near Sussex · Wyoming · Indian Wars
History & Significance
Initially constructed as Fort Connor on August 15, 1865, by companies of the 6th Michigan Cavalry during the Powder River Expedition, the post guarded a critical point on the Bozeman Trail's crossing of the Powder River. In November 1865, the fort was renamed in honor of Major General Jesse Lee Reno, mortally wounded at the Battle of South Mountain in 1862.
When Colonel Henry B. Carrington arrived in June 1866 with the 18th Infantry, only 104 of the original 137-man garrison remained, the rest having died mainly of illness and scurvy. Garrison troops endured harsh winters and occasionally skirmished with Indians while maintaining the southern Bozeman Trail section.
Unlike Fort Phil Kearny, Fort Reno never gained widespread publicity, as troops never participated in any major encounters. The 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty ended Red Cloud's War and led to Fort Reno's abandonment as a condition of the agreement. In March 1876, General George Crook's Big Horn Expedition returned to find only adobe walls and building debris, using the site as a supply base for fifteen days.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Ruins of wooden outpost from 1865 Indian Wars era
- Adobe walls and scattered debris mark original fort location
- Bozeman Trail protection history during westward expansion
- Site abandoned after 1868 Fort Laramie Treaty ceded region to Lakota Sioux
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Reno_(Wyoming)
- https://wyoshpo.wyo.gov/index.php/programs/national-register/wyoming-listings/view-full-list/608-fort-reno
- https://www.wyohistory.org/encyclopedia/fort-reno-and-cantonment-reno
- https://visitbuffalowy.com/stories/the-bozeman-trail/
- https://www.wyohistory.org/education/lesson-plans/visiting-fort-reno-and-cantonment-reno-outposts-bozeman-trail
- https://www.wyohistory.org/travel/historic-indian-wars-sites