“We live like the prairie dogs that surround us…”

At Cantonment Reno, a temporary post begun in the fall of 1876, the approaching winter forced the hurried construction of dugouts and cabins that were holes dug in the earth and crude log and canvas structures covered with lumber and soil. These quarters were often infested with vermin or filled with water during storms. Lumber had to be cut by hand from nearby cottonwood trees, and drinking water was hauled from the muddy Powder River. Over time, conditions improved with the addition of log barracks, a hospital, large canvas-covered warehouses, and vegetable cellars. In 1878, the post moved to a new location on Clear Creek, where clean water and good lumber were available.

Kaycee, Wyoming · United States