Soldiers Bar at Fort Laramie

Inside the Soldiers Bar

NPS

In today's army, this would be known as an "enlisted men's club". At Fort Laramie, it was called the "soldiers barroom". Off-duty soldiers played cards and pool, sing around the piano, and drink at the wooden bar. They could come choose from several brands of beer, but no hard liquor was available without doctor's orders.

Drunkenness was a continual threat to discipline, safety, and morrell at Fort Laramie. Nevertheless, the post Commander allowed this bar to open in 1883. Before, soldiers had routinely left the post to drink at a place called a "hog ranch". These combination brothel - bar -and-card rooms commonly spring up near most frontier army posts. to discourage men from going to these notorious establishments, the army compromised by permitting this bar on the post. Here, the soldiers' drinking it could be controlled... somewhat.

It wasn't a perfect solution, but it helped.

On the opposite of this building was a separate bar for officers, known as the club room. The post trader ran both facilities, under his government license.