Fort That Sheltered 1856 Mormons Dug Up
Archeologists announced last week that they have unearthed Seminoe Fort, a trading post on the Oregon Trail that sheltered Mormon pioneers during a deadly blizzard in 1856 and went undetected for 140 years. Founded by fur trader Charles “Seminoe” Lajuenesse around 1852, the post was located where the Oregon and Mormon trails converged southwest of present-day Casper, Wyo.
About 150 Mormon pioneers from Iowa, members of Edward Martin’s Handcart Co., died of hunger and cold during the blizzard, one of the worst tragedies of American overland migration. Some died at or near the fort that gave shelter to others. The survivors were eventually reached by rescuers from the Salt Lake Valley of Utah.
Using an 1857 map and sophisticated equipment, workers found areas of magnetic anomalies indicating possible building foundations in a hayfield. So far, the team has located three of at least six cabins believed to have been part of the fort.
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Compiled by Times medical writer Thomas H. Maugh II
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