The Women of Fort Laramie

Officer’s Wives

Officer’s wives were often from the states on the east coast. Once married to their husbands, these ladies would follow them across the wild West. They would often move every spring to a different post for changes of station, having to pack up all of their belongings and move further into the unknown. They faced the many perils that came with expanding the western frontier, with the biggest danger being disease, as cholera and dysentery from tainted water were the biggest killers on the trails. Those that did make the long journey and survived were highly respected due to their enduring loyalty and resilience in the face of hardship. Making it through the journey didn't mean that life was easy at the fort. Many homes were in rough shape, with dirt or wood floors that would rot, and the fort was a place of many strong and unpleasant odors.

These ladies were not recognized by the government and were considered “camp followers” under the supervision of the Post Commander. Despite their lack of recognition, these ladies were incredibly proud of their men, and considered themselves as part of the regiment. They learned horseback riding and how to shoot firearms, and undeniably changed the social dynamics of the post with their poise and domesticity.

They brought with them the manners and fashion of the state's Victorian society: elaborate gowns, calling cards, and secret signs with one's parasol, gloves, or fan. Officer's wives employed house servants as well, if they were available. Even when one was available, many wives struggled to find a servant that was to their liking. They originally would seek out attractive women, but were soon discouraged, as the servants would quickly be married and leave their position to care for their husbands’ home. They then asked for the most comely women, but even many of them were quickly married. Servants were hard to come by, and as a result, many wives resorted to hiring enlisted men they would call “strikers". Fellow enlisted men however, referred to them as "dog-robbers”, as they were prohibited from using the officer’s kitchen to make their own food, but were allowed to eat whatever scraps were left over from the family's meal.

Officer's wives spent most of their time caring for their home and children, as well as socializing with other wives. In fact, they would have a certain day of the week dedicated to stopping by other wives’ houses to chat or leave a calling card that would detail who visited and their intentions. Originally this was done with simple corner folds and a signature, but the message would often be confusing as people would mix up the corners. The ladies would also arrange picnics, dances, sewing bees, and other social events to liven up the fort. Wives of officers also had a certain level of power due to their husband’s status. If someone had a request for an officer, they would often go to the wife first in the hopes of gaining a more favorable outcome. Martha Summerhayes, the wife of an officer in the 20th infantry, described life in the west as “glittering misery”, as life was filled with shining brass buttons and eyes filled with pride, as well as the hardships and dangers of such new explorations.

Laundresses

Having laundresses do military washing was a British tradition that originated from Napoleon and was carried over to the West. Laundresses were first legally recognized by the U.S. on March 16, 1802, making them the only women on the post recognized by the government. Laundresses came from all walks of life, with many being immigrants. In order to gain employment, the ladies would have to go to the Commanding Officer to request permission to work. Once they were permitted to work, they would receive a 5-year contract, but were allowed to leave if they deemed their life unsatisfying, a choice soldiers were not given. As government employees, they would receive housing colloquially referred to as “Soapsud’s Row” or “Sudsville”. At Fort Laramie, their housing was on the edge of the Laramie river, consisting of wood shacks and canvas tents reinforced with barrel staves, until 1875, when they were permitted to move just across the Laramie and into an abandoned cavalry barrack. They would also be given straw bedding, wood fuel, food, and whiskey rations. A laundress would make $19.5 a month for the 19.5 men they would wash for. This was decent money for the time, as privates only made $13 a month, and $1 would go directly to their laundress.

Laundresses also did extra work around the post for more coin, including washing for civilians, mending, baking and selling pies, occasionally working as house servants for officers’ wives, and assisting as midwives. They typically did all of their washing on Mondays, as Sunday was when people changed their clothes, and ironed on Tuesdays. Washing was a long, arduous task, as they were washing for around twenty people including themselves, plus their family and any civilians they've taken on. It was a task no one envied, and left every lady with tough, reddened hands and a sore back. Beginning in the morning, the “spikes”, a colloquial term for the laundresses, would line up at a pump, or at Fort Laramie, the Laramie river, to gather water. Washing was a multi-step process, so one needed water for the first boiling rinse tub, the washtub to scrub, and a final rinse tub. They would also rinse with a bluing solution if necessary, and after wringing out the clothing, starch thicker garments for stiffness, then hang them to dry. Laundresses would also make their own soap, harvesting lye from wood ashes and mixing it with lard.

Although a laundress’s life was busy and full of hard work, she was still one of the few women at the post, and making a good wage too. As such, laundresses were never single long, no matter how comely. Often enlisted men would seek out the spikes, and a few would be lucky enough to catch a corporal or sergeant's eye. The ladies were guests at enlisted dances and hops, and they bashfully hid their sun-reddened hands in the folds of their skirts. If a soldier and laundress decided to marry, they would have to receive permission from the Commanding Officer first. As a married couple, they would get certain benefits: the soldier could sleep at the laundress’s housing instead of the crowded barracks and eat there as well, instead of the mess hall with rotating untrained cooks. This allowed the soldiers to be home and help care for children and other household duties.

Despite the immense amount of work these ladies did for the forts and the morale boost they brought, some felt that they were an economic drag. To move laundresses from post to post often cost more than an entire company of men. As the close of the century approached, the wild West settled down; new innovations were on the horizon, and the military decided that the laundresses were no longer necessary. On April 10, 1883, general orders stated that the laundresses’ rations be revoked as of June 18, 1883, and their legal recognition with it.