Fort Hall Replica

Fort Hall was constructed in 1834 and served as a trading post during the era of the Oregon and California Trails. The fort stood until it was demolished in 1863. This replica of the fort is located near the Bannock County Museum and the Pocatello Zoo and offers tours, exhibits, and interactive experiences that teach about the experiences of Native people and emigrants as they traveled west along the California and Oregon Trails.

Fort Hall was built by Nathaniel Jarvis Wyeth in 1834 as a fur trading post. The Fort's location on the Snake River made this fort an important center of commerce not only for area trappers and fur traders, but also for emigrants passing through the territory. The Fort was sold by Wyeth to the British Hudson's Bay Company as part of their chain of trading posts. With the acquisition of the Oregon Territory by the U.S. government, this fort soon found itself on the western trails traveled by emigrants due to its location next to the Snake River at a point where the Oregon and California trails met. 

It is estimated that 270,000 emigrants passed through Fort Hall on their journey west. Fort Hall would later be utilized by mail freight lines and prospectors during the California gold rush. The replica fort is not located in the precise location of Fort Hall, but is instead located near a place where travelers and residents often visit. The replica fort features a Blacksmith shop, living quarters, and a trading post.  A volunteer guide offers tours that includes a short history of the fort. Visitors should also take a few moments to read the Fort Hall diary on display, which offers some first-hand accounts of life at the fort through diaries and journals of people who spent time there. 

"National Register Information System". National Register of Historic Places. National Park Service. 2007-01-23. "Fort Hall". National Historic Landmark summary listing. National Park Service. Retrieved 2008-02-07.