National Register of Historic Places

Platte River Crossing

Saratoga, Carbon County, Wyoming
Listed
August 11, 1971
Type
Site
Period
Listed
Ref No.
71000885

About this property

The Platte River Crossing, also known as Bennett's Crossing, is the point at which the Overland Trail crossed the North Platte River in Carbon County, Wyoming. The site is a natural ford created by an island in the middle of the river with a firm river bottom on either side. The location was used as a ford by Native Americans before the arrival of Europeans in the West. The first Europeans to use the site were members of the William Henry Ashley fur-trading expedition of 1825, followed by John C. Frémont in 1843. In 1850, Howard Stansbury camped at the site, noting the presence of remnant Native American encampments around the site. By the time the Overland Stage Line was established in 1861, the crossing had been used by emigrants for several years. In later years, a ferry was operated at the site by Ed Bennett, leading to the site becoming known as Bennett's Crossing. When the Union Pacific Railway laid tracks through the region in 1868, the crossing fell out of use. The site is marked by a stone monument on a small parcel of land deeded to the State of Wyoming in 1933. A small cemetery is nearby with eight known graves from the 1860s. The site was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 12, 1971.

Location

Saratoga, Carbon County, Wyoming
41.57273, -106.96421

Categories

COMMERCETRANSPORTATIONEXPLORATION/SETTLEMENTCOMMUNICATIONS
National Register nomination ›
Sources

Property data from the National Register of Historic Places, National Park Service (public domain).

Description adapted from Wikipedia under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.

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Overview
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The Land
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Geology
The bedrock beneath the site, its age and rock type, reaching back millions of years.
LiDAR Terrain
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Conflict & War
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The Civil War
The Civil War on this ground, 1861 to 1865: who held it, and the battles, camps and regiments nearby.
The Soldiers
The men who marched from here in the Civil War, named and traced where the record allows.
Native Heritage
The Native nations who held this land, mapped across time from before European contact to today.
Settlement
Who claimed and held this ground, from Indigenous homelands through the colonial powers to the United States.
The Community
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Rivers & Rail
The rivers, canals and railroads that connected this place between 1830 and 1911.
Notable People
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Historical Maps
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Finds & Access
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Literature
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Questions about this property

When was Platte River Crossing listed on the National Register?

Platte River Crossing was listed on the National Register of Historic Places on August 11, 1971.

What type of historic resource is Platte River Crossing?

Platte River Crossing is classified as a site in the National Register of Historic Places.

What is the period of significance for Platte River Crossing?

The period of significance for Platte River Crossing is recorded as the listed era.

Can I research the history near Platte River Crossing?

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