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“We commend him to the confidence of the public.” So stated
Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court Roger B. Taney in a letter of
introduction for James K. Moore as he was about to embark on a journey
westward during the spring of 1864. In a few short years Moore’s
travels took him to the Wind River Reservation, located in the Territory
of Wyoming, where he served as the post trader and Indian trader for several
decades at Fort Washakie.
Ladies enjoying a sunny day at Fort Washakie. James
K. Moore Family Papers
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J.K. Moore's Home Located at Fort. Washakie.
Built between 1873 and 1875, the home was U-shaped.
The courtyard was paved in flagstones. A well in the courtyard was
used until 1881 when the home was connected to the fort’s
water system. James K. Moore Family Papers.
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During his time on the reservation, Moore photographically documented
life at the fort and the reservation. His son, J.K. Moore, Jr., continued
photographing the area and people after his father’s retirement
to California in 1906. The results of their efforts to preserve a portion
of the reservation’s history now reside in the American Heritage
Center.
Moore, born to Robert and Ann Moore in Georgia in 1843, lost his parents
to a cholera epidemic during the 1850s. A widowed aunt living in Washington,
D.C. took in Moore and his four sisters. At the age of twelve he worked
as a page in the U.S. Senate and later became a bailiff for the U.S. Supreme
Court.
Shoshone Agency School, no date.
A student and teachers at the school at the Shoshone Agency on the
Wind River Reservation. James K. Moore Family Papers.
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Ladies on a visit, no date.
Ladies from the fort visited members of the Shoshone tribe on the
Sundance grounds on the reservation. James K. Moore Family Papers. |
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Because of deteriorating health, a doctor advised Moore to go west to
seek a healthier climate. After a journey by rail he traveled the Oregon
and Bridger trails to the Montana goldfields. From there he went to southeastern
Wyoming territory working for William A. Carter at Fort Bridger. After
creation of the Wind River Reservation in 1868, Moore applied for the
post trader’s position at the newly created fort on the reservation.
He received the appointment in 1870. He became a successful businessman
and good friend to Chief Washakie, leader of the Shoshone Indians.
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