Omaha daily bee., 1908-12-02
OF OLD FORT WASRARlE
Final Orders Issued for Abandonment
Of Historic Post.
NAMED FOR FAMOUS OLD CHIEF
washakfe,. who Was a s~hoshoue,
Claimed to he direct Descend
ant of Tecumseh, the
shawnee.

Orders have finally gone out for the aban-
Comment Of Fort washskie, wyo.. and the
transfer OF the garrison OF one company
OF the Eighth cavalry from that post TO
Fort D. A. Russell. wyo.. until quarters
are completed at Fort Robinson, Neb., for
the company.
With the abandonment OF Fort washakie
there is extinguished the last OF the his
toric forts and camps of the transmissoun
country around which clusters many great
events IN the Indian wars OF thirty-nve
and forty years ago. 1t was IN the vicinity
Of Fort Washable that was fought one Of
the great and final battles of the Indian
wars that followed the Custer massacre Of
June. 1876. General Nelson A. Miles was
in chief command Of the regular troops at
the time and the Indians opposing him
were the Northern Cheyennes. Arapahoes
and Shoshones. General Crook was en-
gagged In the farther north Black Hills
country against the escaping Sioux. The
chief in command Of the allied Indian tribes
was Washable, who is often referred to in
Indian history as the double Of the grea:
chief Tecumseh Of the Shawnees Of 1872,
whom General William Henry Harrison
overwhelmed at the battle Of T1ppecanoe.
OF the House of Tecumsch.
Washable was a shoshone and claimed
direct descent from Tecumseh. The In
dams were overwhelmed and Washakie was
taken prisoner. The camp, sixteen miles
north Of the present city Of Lander, Wyo.,
was named after him, and the Indians
were held there as prisoners. The camp.
or cantonment, had been established as a
base Of supplies for operations against the
Indians and was built OF log walls with
canvas or tent coverings.
Many Indians broke out OF their tempo
rary prisons at Camp Washable and were
shot down By the troops. the latter being
taken completely by surprise. The Indians
were recaptured and reimprisoned Wash
axle was not of the escaping party, but
counselled against the attempted escape.
and was given the liberty Of the canton
ment. 1t was through his good offices that
peace was eventually declared in that sec
ton of the country.
Fort Named for Old Chief.
The cantonment OF Camp washakie was
subsequently, reconstructed into a fort
partly stockaded and was named Fort
Washable in honor Of the old chief. The
fort as such was built in the early sos
and has since been occupied by federal
troops. About three years ago an order
was Issued abandoning the fort, but the
UToeT was SAOEIS Thereafter IeNOheu- II
has since been maintained as a one-com-
pany post. The buildings are old and de-
caying.
About two years ago the government
expended S2O0.O 600 in ~rehabilitating the water
supply at the post, but no further i'm
provements were made, other than tempo
rary repairs to the old log buildings. With
the opening Of the Shoshone reservation the
couple OF years ago, the necessity for
the continuance Of the old fort was shown
to be useless. But through influence OF
powerful friends in its neighborhood. the
old fort was still let live as a matter OF
sentiment.
But now II Las outlived rs day. II IS
but a memory surrounded by traditions
that are among the most cherished OF the
: early history of Wyoming.