Carter, William A. (William Alexander), 1818-1881

William A. Carter (1818-1881) was born in Virginia, and moved to Fort Bridger in 1857 to become the storekeeper. He was a businessman and a probate judge while doing other various jobs.

Born in Prince William County, Va.; enlisted in the army on 1 July 1836 at the age of 18 at Warrenton, Va.; enlisted in the Second Seminole Indian War and assigned to Company A, 2nd US Dragoon; discharged 12 Aug. 1837 at St. Augustine as sergeant with reason given as disability; after discharge he was a sutler for the US military.

William Alexander Carter was Probate Judge of Uinta County, Wyoming, and ex officio Justice of the Peace.

William A. Carter, born in Virginia, a soldier and sutler in Florida during the Seminole wars, later a Missouri settler and an 1850 overland emigrant to California, came to Fort Bridger in 1857 with the Utah Expedition, remaining the rest of his life as sutler and post trader. At Fort Bridger, in addition to his business as a trader provisioning emigrants traveling overland, Carter was active in mining, lumbering, and ranching. He also served in a number of public offices, including that of Probate Judge, and unsuccessfully solicited an appointment as Wyoming Territory's first governor. After his death in 1881, and until 1890, the business was carried on by his widow, Mary E. Carter, and their children.

Sutler at Fort Bridger, Wyo. from 1857. Also served as postmaster, pony express agent, probate judge and justice of the peace until 1881.

William Alexander Carter (1820-1881) came with Capt. Philip St. George Cooke to Fort Bridger in 1857 as sutler and post trader. Later he became postmaster and probate judge. He built a store and warehouse, established a sawmill, and carried on a prosperous trading business until his death.

W. A. Carter was a sutler and probate judge at Fort Bridger from 1859 until his death in 1881. Carter, a Virginian, came to Fort Bridger with Johnston's army in 1857 during the so-called Utah War. Since goods and people traveling west passed through Fort Bridger, Carter was at the center of economic activities on the frontier. Making the most of his situation, Carter opened a general store. He carried on a brisk trade with soldiers, scientific expeditions, miners and mountaineers, Indians, and emigrants on the Overland Trail.

William A. Carter was born April 15, 1818 in Virginia. Around 1857 to 1858 William A. Carter came with Johnston's Army as a sutler or storekeeper to Fort Bridger, Wyoming. Carter and his wife, Mary E. Carter, had six children: Ada, Anna, Lulie, Roberta, William A. and Edgar. He stayed at Fort Bridger with his family rebuilding and restocking the fort. One of the region's early businessmen, Carter was involved in mining, oil, logging, and cattle ranching, and he also operated a sawmill. He raised hay and grain on the land surrounding the Fort to fill contracts with the government. Carter was soon known as Mr. Fort Bridger, and became Wyoming's first millionaire. In addition to his business activities Carter was justice of the peace and probate judge for Green River County.

Carter was an early settler of Wyoming, arriving in 1857. He was appointed judge in 1858, and served for 14 years. He was instrumental in establishing the boundaries of Wyoming, and he erected the first oil refinery in the region and operated one of the first sawmills in southwestern Wyoming. From 1858 to 1881 Carter served as post trader at Fort Bridger, Wyoming, a fort used by the military from 1857 to 1890. Mary E. Carter served as post trader from 1881 to 1883.

W.A. Carter, born in Virginia, a soldier and sutler in Florida during the Seminole wars, later a Missouri settler and an 1850 overland emigrant to California, came to Fort Bridger in 1857 with the Utah Expedition, remaining the rest of his life as sutler and post trader. After his death, and until 1890, the business was carried on by his widow, Mary E. Carter, and their children.

Biography

William A. Carter of Virginia began his army service in the Seminole War and became a sutler or purveyor after his discharge. Later, as a Missouri settler and an 1850 overland emigrant to California, Carter came to Fort Bridger with Albert Johnston's Utah Expedition in 1857 and spent the rest of his life there as a sutler and post trader. In addition to his business provisioning emigrants traveling overland, Carter was active in mining, lumbering, and ranching. He was his own bookkeeper, a custodian of government funds, and served in a number of public offices, including those of probate judge, justice of the peace, and notary public. He was known as a friend of the Shoshone and Ute Indians. Carter unsuccessfully solicited an appointment as Wyoming Territory's first governor, and was a public relations man for Fort Bridger and the area, giving enthusiastic accounts during his regular trips to Virginia and Washington D.C. After his death in 1881 until 1890, his widow, Mary E. Carter, and their children carried on business at Fort Bridger.

Fort Bridger was a trading post in Utah Territory at Black's Fork on the Green River, in what is now Uinta County, Wyoming. It was established by mountain man, Jim Bridger, with Louis Vasquez, as an emigrant supply stop on the Oregon Trail in 1843, and was purchased by the Mormons in 1853. Burned during the Mormon conflicts in 1857, the fort was rebuilt in 1858 for use by the army and was run by Carter. Although the army leased the fort from Bridger, both Bridger and Brigham Young believed they owned the fort. Fort Bridger was an important supply station for emigrants traveling overland, and served as one of the main hubs of westward expansion used by mountain men, Indians, emigrants, Mormon pioneers, the U.S. Army, and the Pony Express. As Carter's residence, it also served as a social, cultural, and political center in the region, drawing guests from the East and those with business in the area. Carter's family continued to live at the fort until 1928, when it was sold to the Wyoming Historical Landmark Commission for preservation. Today Fort Bridger is a Wyoming State Park.

W. A. Carter was a sutler and probate judge at Fort Bridger from 1859 until his death in 1881. After his death Carter's widow, Mary Elizabeth (Hamilton) Carter, took her husband's place as post trader until 1890.

William Alexander Carter known as "Mr. Fort Bridger" was the most important individual at Fort Bridger, Wyoming and a key player in the economic development of the intermountain west. Carter's personality and the Fort were so intimately connected that to many contemporaries Fort Bridger was "Carter's Fort."

Carter, a Virginian, came to Fort Bridger with Johnston's army in 1857 during the so-called Utah War. Since goods and people traveling west passed through Fort Bridger, Carter was at the center of economic activities on the frontier. Making the most of his situation, Carter opened a general store. He carried on a brisk trade with soldiers, scientific expeditions, miners and mountaineers, Indians, and emigrants on the Overland Trail.

Of particular interest is Carter's business with Mormons. Aware of the market opportunity presented by Mormons, Carter opened a second store at Heber, Utah. In order to make things go more smoothly, Carter recruited Mormon Bishop Abram Hatch as a partner. Nevertheless, the Heber store closed in the face of the Mormon policy of not trading with "gentiles."

One of the region's early businessmen, Carter was involved in mining, oil, logging, and cattle ranching, and he also operated a sawmill. He raised hay and grain on the land surrounding the Fort to fill contracts with the government. In addition to his business activities Carter was justice of the peace and probate judge for Green River County. Originally, Fort Bridger was in Utah Territory; but it became a part of the newly created Wyoming Territory on July 25, 1868. (The official date for the organization of the Wyoming Territory was May 19, 1869.)

Judge Carter was known for his hospitality. He tried to lead the life of a gentleman, had an excellent library, and a Steinway piano. He was a Republican and a member of the Methodist Episcopal Church.

W. A. and Mary E. Carter had six children: Ada, who married army surgeon J. K. Corson, Anna (Mrs. James Van Allen Carter), Lulie (Mrs. Maurice Groshon), Roberta (Mrs. W. H. Camp), William A. and Edgar. James Van Allen Carter was not related to Judge Carter but was a son-in-law.

For additional studies of Carter see:

W. N. Davis, Jr., "The Sutler at Fort Bridger," Western Historical Quarterly January 1971 : 37-54.

Robert S. Ellison, Fort Bridger Wyoming; A Brief History Casper: The Historical Landmark Commission of Wyoming, 1931;

Fred R. Gowans and Eugene E. Campbell, Fort Bridger Provo: Brigham Young University Press, 1875.

"Diary of Judge William A. Carter" Annals of Wyoming April 1939.

Merrill J. Mattes, Platte River Road Narratives, Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1988, entry 1588,

Dale L. Morgan and George P. Hammond, eds., A Guide to the Manuscript Collections of the Bancroft Library, Berkeley: University of California Press, 1963, pp. 244-245.

See also A. R. Standing, "Through the Uintas: History of the Carter Road," Utah Historical Quarterly, Summer 1967: 256.

"Western Justice: The Court at Fort Bridger Utah Territory," Utah Historical Quarterly, April 1955): 99.