Meet Fort Laramie’s Famous and Faceless During Western Encounters

News Release Date:
August 8, 2022

Contact:Clayton Hanson, 307-837-2221 #3010

For Immediate Release: August 8, 2022
Contact: Clayton Hanson
307-837-2221, [email protected]

Meet Fort Laramie's Famous and Faceless During Western Encounters

FORT LARAMIE, WYO., August 8, 2022 - Visit Fort Laramie National Historic Site during the weekend of August 12-14, 2022, for the annual special event Western Encounters. This year's theme is "The Famous and the Faceless" and will feature programs by professional living historians Marla Matkin and Kris Swanson, music by bagpiper Marti Mace, a reading and book signing by author Brian Carroll, and an open-air encampment of the 1870s. Special programs will be held throughout the day between 9 am and 5 pm and the living history area will be open to the public from 8 am to 7 pm.

"As the summer winds down, this is an opportunity to see both familiar and new faces and have a good weekend at the fort before the start of the school year," said superintendent Mark Davison.

Fort Laramie has always been the destination for many people and the scene of many stories. This year's Western Encounters theme of "The Famous and the Faceless" highlights the diverse experiences of individual Native Americans, travelers, traders, soldiers, settlers, and many others. They all weave a richer and fuller story of the fort and the West.

The schedule of events includes:

Daily

• 8:00 am - 7:00 pm Living History Encampments and Exhibits - Visit park employees, volunteers, and special guests as they live out life at the Grand Old Post. Throughout the fort.

Friday, August 12

• 9:30 am, 2:30 pm, and 3:30 pm - Ranger Programs - Join Fort Laramie rangers to learn about healing in the West, have your questions about the past answered, and immerse yourself in the lives of soldiers. Throughout the fort, 30 minutes.
• 12:00 pm Afternoon Program - "History of the Plains Indian Tipi" - Living historian Kris Swanson raises her tipi to open Western Encounters 2022. Learn about the evolution and importance of the tipi among the nations of the northern Plains and assist in the raising of the tipi with Kris and others. Living History Area, 60 minutes.

Saturday, August 13

• 9:00 am Special Program - "Women in the American Fur Trade" - The role of American Indian women in the success of the North American fur trade has often been underplayed and misunderstood. Living historian Kris Swanson will show the importance of these women in creating enterprises that transformed the interior of the continent. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 10:00 am Special Program - "Officers' Wives on the American Frontier" - Toasted by their husbands for sharing in their "glittering misery," discover some of the famous and not-so-famous lives of officers' wives in the West. Join living historian Marla Matkin and bagpiper Marti Mace for a special program that blends first-person performance with music. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 11:00 am Special Program - "William O. Collins - Post Commander" - Author Brian Carroll shares his research into the life and family of Lt. Colonel William O. Collins - commander of the fort in the critical final years of the Civil War. This research led to his book William O. Collins: From the Mayflower to the Rockies with Stops in Between. A book signing will follow. Old Bedlam Porch, 45 minutes
• 2:00 pm Special Program - "Officers' Wives on the American Frontier"- Toasted by their husbands for sharing in their "glittering misery," discover some of the famous and not-so-famous lives of officers' wives in the West. Join living historian Marla Matkin and bagpiper Marti Mace for a special program that blends first-person performance with music. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 3:00 pm Special Program - "Afternoon Drill" - Join park rangers and volunteers as they demonstrate Upton's Tactics - the manual of arms during the Indian Wars. Discover what worked and what didn't in preparing soldiers for combat on the Plains. Parade Ground, 45 minutes.
• 4:00 pm Special Program - "Owl Woman" - Living historian Kris Swanson shares the story of Mistanta, or Owl Woman, who was one of the Cheyenne wives of fur trader William Bent. While his story is well-known, hers is no less important. She guided her husband in his business dealings with her people, interpreted between fur traders, soldiers, and Native people, and lived with him between two worlds. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 5:00 pm Special Program - "Retreat" - Living historians will lower the flag in a special ceremony in honor of the annual encampment of the Wyoming Wing of the Civil Air Patrol. Parade Grounds, 30 minutes.

Sunday, August 14

• 9:00 am Special Program - "Officers' Wives on the American Frontier" - Toasted by their husbands for sharing in their "glittering misery," discover some of the famous and not-so-famous lives of officers' wives in the West. Join living historian Marla Matkin and bagpiper Marti Mace for a special program that blends first-person performance with music. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 10:00 am Special Program - "Morning Drill" - Join park rangers and volunteers as they demonstrate the manual of arms used during the Indian Wars. Discover what worked and what didn't in preparing soldiers for combat on the Plains. Parade Ground, 45 minutes.
• 11:00 am Special Program - "Owl Woman" - Living historian Kris Swanson shares the story of Mistanta, or Owl Woman, who was one of the Cheyenne wives of fur trader William Bent. While his story is well-known, hers is no less important. She guided her husband in his business dealings with her people, interpreted between fur traders, soldiers, and Native people, and lived with him between two worlds. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 2:00 pm Special Program - "Officers' Wives on the American Frontier" - Toasted by their husbands for sharing in their "glittering misery," discover some of the famous and not-so-famous lives of officers' wives in the West. Join living historian Marla Matkin and bagpiper Marti Mace for a special program that blends first-person performance with music. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 3:00 pm Special Program - "Afternoon Drill" - Join park rangers and volunteers as they demonstrate the manual of arms used during the Indian Wars. Discover what worked and what didn't in preparing soldiers for combat on the Plains. Parade Ground, 45 minutes.
• 4:00 pm Special Program - "Women in the American Fur Trade" - The role of American Indian women in the success of the North American fur trade has often been underplayed and misunderstood. Living historian Kris Swanson will show the importance of these women in creating enterprises that transformed the interior of the continent. Commissary Bleachers, 45 minutes.
• 5:00 pm Special Program - "Retreat" - Living historians will lower the garrison flag to conclude the weekend's programmed activities. Living history stations will remain open until 7 pm. Parade Grounds, 30 minutes.

Discovering these and other stories can help us build a more inclusive national identity and future. Visit Fort Laramie this coming weekend to encounter the known and the unknown of the West that was and still is.

For more information, visit the park website at www.nps.gov/fola or call the park at 307-837-2221. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

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About the National Park Service: More than 20,000 National Park Service employees care for America's 419 national parks and work with communities across the nation to help preserve local history and create close-to-home recreational opportunities. Learn more at www.nps.gov.

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