Hospital Ruins at Fort Laramie

Hospital Ruins

NPS

In the mid-1870s, this structure was a 12 bed hospital, supervised by the post surgeon.

Patients who stayed here where seldom treated by a qualified doctor. Usually, a soldier known as a "hospital steward" handled the job. his main responsibilities were to determine whether a soldier who responded to sick call was genuinely ill or injured, then to provide whatever treatment was prescribed in his manual.

The standard care was often in limited to rest, fresh air, and isolation. Even so, in its day, this was one of the best hospitals in the territory.