The Bear River Massacre
Westward travelers followed a variety of trails from the 1830's until the completion of the transcontinental railroad in 1869 but with the exception of Mormons bound for Utah, they nearly all stopped for refitting and rest at Fort Bridger in Wyoming Territory and Fort Hall in what is now Idaho. Fort Hall was established in 1834 on bottom land adjacent to the Snake River near present day Pocatello, Idaho. It's founder was N. J. Wyeth whose aim was to create an independent fur trading company. By 1934 the fur trade was already in decline and competition (some of it unfair) from the already established Rocky Mountain Fur Company and the Hudson Bay Fur Company forced Wyeth out of business and he soon sold out to the Hudson Bay Company. Fort Hall replica Pocatello, ID Fort Hall was built to be a trading post, not a military installation and the way it is set up reflects that. Living accommodations were minimal but much space was given to works shops and storage for tra