On the Great Plains of North America, where the flatlands meet the Rocky Mountains and the buffalo once roamed, trailed by Cheyenne, Arapahoe and Sioux, there stood an oasis for westward migrants in search of new lives and fortunes…
It’s called Fort Laramie.
In this thought-provoking film, Don Wildman (American History Hit) travels to Wyoming to explore the story of this remarkable place, from trading post between Europeans and Native Americans to staging post for those on the trail westwards, a military bastion on the frontline of the battle for land, safe passage and resources.
To discover the site, Don meets with Park Rangers and interviews Dr Jeff Means of the University of Wyoming, a member of the Lakota Sioux Nation - a descendant of those who knew Fort Laramie in the 19th century.
The film investigates some of Laramie’s key events, from the Grattan Massacre to the treaties signed in this area in 1851 and 1868 as the United States spread westwards, across the Great Plains and beyond.
Fort Laramie stands as a memorial to America’s westward expansion, and a reminder of how the world of the Native American Plains Indians was changed forever.
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