Crazy Woman Crossing facts for kids
Quick facts for kids |
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Trabing Station–Crazy Woman Crossing
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Crazy Woman Crossing on Bozeman Trail
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| Nearest city | Buffalo, Wyoming |
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| Area | 676 acres (274 ha) |
| Built | 1866 |
| MPS | Bozeman Trail in Wyoming MPS |
| NRHP reference No. | 89000815 |
| Added to NRHP | July 23, 1989 |
Crazy Woman Crossing is a very old and important place on the Bozeman Trail in Johnson County, Wyoming. It is about twenty miles southeast of Buffalo. This spot was one of three main places where travelers could cross creeks and rivers.
It is famous because of the Battle of Crazy Woman, a fight that happened in 1866 during Red Cloud's War. After this war, the United States left this area. They made a peace agreement with the Lakota people and their allies called the Treaty of Fort Laramie in 1868.
Later, in the 1870s, more people started using the Bozeman Trail. In 1878, a man named August Trabing opened a store nearby. This store became known as the Trabing Station. It was the very first store in Johnson County. Crazy Woman Crossing then became known as the place where Trabing Road crossed Crazy Woman Creek.
Exploring the Bozeman Trail
In the spring of 1863, a man named John Bozeman and his friends looked for a direct path. They wanted a route from the goldfields in Virginia City, Montana to central Wyoming. This new path would connect to the Oregon Trail, which was a major route to the West Coast.
The Bozeman Trail followed many old paths that Native Americans had used for a long time. These paths went through the Powder River country. On July 6, 1863, the first group of travelers tried the new trail. It included forty-six wagons, eighty-nine men, and some women and children.
After crossing the North Platte River, travelers on the Bozeman Trail reached three main river crossings. These were Powder River Crossing, Crazy Woman Crossing, and Clear Creek Crossing (which is now Buffalo, Wyoming). At each water crossing, travelers often camped for at least one night. They would water their animals, check their supplies, and rest.
Between 1864 and 1868, fewer than a thousand people used the Bozeman Trail. This was because there was a high risk of attacks from the Lakota and their allies. Ellen Fletcher was one traveler who used the trail in 1866. She wrote in her diary about Crazy Woman Crossing:
Camped at "Crazy Woman's Fork." It was a beautiful spot near the stream, in a large grove of trees. The men built large campfires all around the wagons. It was a pretty sight, the circular correll (corral) of white topped wagons and tents scattered here and there, the blazing fires shining forth through the trees, the busy men and women hurrying to and fro, and the quiet moon looking down over it all. A large tree, bent over like an arch, crowns our wagon.
The Crazy Woman Battle
The Powder River Expedition (1865) and Red Cloud's War (1866) were military actions by the United States. They aimed to stop resistance from the Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho people. The goal was to protect travelers on the Bozeman Trail.
On August 11, 1865, General Patrick Edward Connor's troops reached the Powder River Crossing. There, they started building Fort Reno. After a battle on August 29, 1865, Connor was told to return to Salt Lake City. Around the same time, another group of soldiers was ordered to build a military road. This road would help move supplies along the Bozeman Trail.
In 1866, Colonel Henry B. Carrington led a military force to secure the Bozeman Trail. Carrington built Fort Phil Kearny on July 14. This started a struggle with the Lakota and their allies, known as Red Cloud's War. The Lakota fought to make the US forces leave.
Crazy Woman Crossing was a favorite spot for attacks because its land was good for ambushes. On July 20, 1866, a group of thirty settlers left Fort Reno to travel to Fort Phil Kearny. Lieutenants Napoleon H. Daniels and George H. Templeton rode ahead to find a good campsite. They couldn't find one and turned back to join the main group.
Lieutenant Templeton described what happened next: "Lieut. (Daniels) remarked "look there" and spurred his horse up, going way ahead. I looked over my right shoulder but could see nothing, but upon looking over my left, I saw between 50 and 60 Indians mounted and in full chase about 150 yards in the rear. I spurred up old Pegasus, punched his (flank) with my gun and did everything to increase speed, but the horse seemed to me to be moving very slowly. After Mr. Daniels had gone 200 yards he was shot with an arrow through the back and fell off his horse, the saddle turning. I could do nothing to help him and did not expect to get away myself."
Templeton, being chased, reached the wagon train. The wagons formed a defensive circle on a bluff overlooking Crazy Woman Creek. The battle lasted for several hours. Finally, a cavalry patrol arrived and helped the trapped group. During the fight, two American soldiers were killed and several were hurt.
Red Cloud's War ended with US forces leaving the area. Two years later, the United States signed the Fort Laramie Treaty of 1868. In this treaty, the US gave control of some land to the Lakota and their allies. This was the only treaty where the US government accepted all the terms offered by the Lakota. The army left the Bozeman Trail and its three forts in the Powder River country.
The Trabing Station Story
After the Great Sioux War of 1876, American armed forces returned to the Bozeman Trail. They built new forts like Cantonment Reno, Fort McKinney, and Fort Custer. The United States then improved the Bozeman Trail to be a military road and telegraph route for these forts. Soon, stagecoach lines started using the trail to carry goods and people.
In 1878, August Trabing opened a trading post at Crazy Woman Crossing. Trabing sold many items, including boots, hats, and drinks, to local ranchers and travelers. In the fall of 1878, his store was robbed three times by a group of "road agents." Because of these robberies, Trabing moved his store in 1879. He moved it from Crazy Woman Crossing to Clear Creek Crossing, which is now Buffalo, Wyoming.
After Trabing left Crazy Woman Crossing, his building was used for other purposes. It became a post office for ranchers and a station for stagecoaches. Local people described the Trabing building as a long, log structure with three rooms. It ran parallel to the road. At the south end were two small log buildings. One was a schoolhouse, and the other was a blacksmith shop. To the east, a large log building served as a stable, with several corrals for animals.
According to Post Office records, "Trabing City" became a post office on January 20, 1879. Abraham M. Baumann was the first postmaster. The post office was later renamed "Trabing" on August 26, 1880, with Andrew King as postmaster. The Trabing post office closed on December 13, 1913. Mail service then moved to Buffalo.
Photo gallery
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Crazy Woman Battle Monument
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Monuments for Crazy Woman Battle
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Site of the Crazy Woman Battle
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Ruins of Trabing Store
