Existing comment:
Supporting Military Operations
Print showing soldiers on horseback and settlers in wagons going into the wood-walled Fort Bridger.
Old Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Courtesy of the Utah State Historical Society.
Railroads played an important role in military operations, and likewise the U.S. Military protected the railroad's construction. Before the Transcontinental Railroad, outposts like Fort Bridger (pictured here) housed and supported soldiers throughout the West. Native Americans clashed with U.S. soldiers who sought to protect fur traders, merchants, and settlers in transit. Railroads could move soldiers and supplies quickly across the West, eventually rendering many forts obsolete.
Can you identify the military forts along the Transcontinental Railroad? |