News – Sheridan Media
On Thursday, August 7, Aidan Hereford presented the last talk of the summer from the Native American Student Interpretive Ranger Program at Fort Phil Kearny. Hereford, whose Shoshone name is Red Rose and Arapaho name is Tall Mountain, led the discussion about how her hometown of Fort Washakie came to be named.
Sharie Shada, Site Superintendent, introduced Hereford,
Shada added that this experience led her to attend an interdisciplinary climate change expedition in Napal. She then turned the podium over to Hereford, who introduced herself in her native language.
Fort Washakie is located in the Wind River Indian Reservation in west-central Wyoming. In 1869, the fort was established and first named Fort Auger, after General Christopher Auger who negotiated the treaty with Chief Washakie. At first it was located near the current town of Lander. The name was changed in 1870, after Captain Fredrick Brown who lost his life at the Fetterman fight, near Fort Phil Kearny.
In May of 1871, due to a series of raids, the fort was moved 15 miles to the northwest, and renamed.
Hereford said that Chief Washakie was born somewhere around 1804 – 1810.
He is buried in the cemetery which bears his name in Fort Washakie.
Hereford concluded her talk with a quote from the Shoshone Tribal Cultural Center Website about Chief Washakie.
The program was well attended, and there were several questions from the audience after the program.
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Last modified: August 9, 2025