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EVANSTON

About 30 miles east of Evanston, WY (100 miles east of Salt Lake City) is the Fort Bridger State Historic Site. The fort was built in 1843, specifically to serve the emigrant traffic. Unlike Ft. Kearny, Ft. Laramie, and others, this fort was privately owned and operated by the legendary Jim Bridger. Just a few miles south of Interstate 80 near the town of Fort Bridger, the fort features restored buildings and a museum commemorating the original Fort Bridger, built in 1842 by mountain man, Indian fighter and guide, Jim Bridger. With his partner, Louis Vasquez, Bridger opened the fort in 1843 as a trading post, strategically located beside the Black's Fork River on the Overland Route. The fur business was declining so they began serving a steady stream of western migrants, both Oregon & Morman Trail travelers from South Pass (see Lander).

The later growth of Evanston was due to the building of the Union Pacific Railroad, which of course lead to the decline of the Overland Trail. Non-Oregon Trail points of interest include Flaming Gorge National Recreation Area (about 100 miles east of Evanston and south of Green River and Rock Springs); and Fossil Butte National Monument, (50 miles north of Evanston near Kemmerer).