Army Architecture in the West: Forts Laramie, Bridger, and D. A. Russell, 1849-1912

by Alison K. Hoagland

During the nineteenth century, the U.S. military built numerous forts across the country as it stationed more and more troops west of the Mississippi. When most people think about military forts in the American West, they imagine imposing strongholds, meccas of defense enclosed by high, palisaded walls. This popular view, however, is far from reality.

In Army Architecture in the West, Alison K. Hoagland dispels the myth that all western forts were uniform structures of military might churned out according to a master set of plans authorized by army officials in Washington, D.C. Instead, by examining three exemplary Wyoming forts, Hoagland reveals that widely varying architectural designs were used to construct western forts.

With more than 120 illustrations, Army Architecture in the West offers a new way of using architecture to gain insight into the role of the army in the American West. By focusing on the tangible remains of the army’s presence in the West, Hoagland presents a new vision of American military history.

352 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

Reviews

[Schoppie · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is an interesting look at the U.S. Army using architecture as a lens. I have visited each of these forts - Bridger and Laramie a number of times and D.A. Russell only once, and Hoagland's description of the posts has me itching to return for a fresh re-examination!

As the title suggests, this book deals with the architecture of these forts, but it also allows the reader to delve into the social and military history of these places through that medium. Hoagland expertly demonstrates that U.S. Army posts were not "all the same," and that the buildings and infrastructure of each post reflects varying degrees of permanence intended by the U.S. government. The author points out that these three posts (and some others by comparison) fulfilled different needs of the Army at different times in their history, and that a study of the architecture enhances the understanding of their individual and collective history.

Each of the three named posts is well-preserved (more so than most examples from the same period), and each is preserved by a different government entity: Fort Bridger by the State of Wyoming, Fort Laramie by the National Park Service, and Fort D.A. Russell by the U.S. Air Force (it continues in service as F.E. Warren Air Force Base). Through a study of varying construction materials, building and parade ground designs, and access to amenities such as running water, sewers, and electricity, Hoagland describes life at these posts, government policies, and how the forts themselves evolved over time. Changing attitudes about women on the frontier, the role of the Army in America, and officers' places in middle and upper-class society are just a few of the topics this book addresses.

I am not interested in architectural studies as a general subject, but I was pleasantly surprised at how this book opened a window on life at these posts and the way the U.S. government managed American expansion to the West in the 19th Century. I bought this book mainly because I know each of these forts, and because I respect Paul Hedren's work (he both recommends this book and wrote its foreword). But Alison K. Hoagland's fine work deserves recognition for broadening the study of the U.S. Army in the West. With that said, this book is not for the casual reader of western history; however, once you have gotten your feet wet with a few other works about the era, do yourself a favor and read this one!

[Brad Butturff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider this to be one of the more valuable reference books in my collection. Even though the title says it's about the military architecture at Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger and Fort Russell you can find significant elements of these same designs at existing structures in current day military posts. In our immediate case at Fort Meade just north of Sturgis. This book helped me to understand why they built some of these structures the way they did. When they founded these isolated military posts in the 1870's and 1880's the army not only had to consider the military needs of the garrison but many needs of their families. Good book to have in any collection on the frontier military.