S.E. Ward Sutler Tokens- Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory

CWT1863

Here are two Sutler Tokens from S.E. Ward who was the sutler at Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory. One is the 25 cent variety and the other is the 50 cent variety. There is also a 10 cent variety that is much rarer and I have yet to find one for my collection.

I wrote an article about Sutler tokens from frontier forts about a year ago. The article was published in the Fall 2018 issue of the Civil War Token Journal. The article won first place in the ANA YN Literary Award and Second Place in the Civil War Token Society Literary Award. The following is the part on S.E. Ward. The full article might be available on the CWTS website in the future. I hope you enjoy reading it.

S.E. Ward- Fort Laramie, Dakota Territory

Fort Laramie was established in 1834 by William Sublette and Robert Campbell. However, the small fort was not called Fort Laramie until later in its history. It was originally named Fort William and allowed the founders of the fort to obtain a near monopoly on the fur trade in that region. Sublette and Campbell saw an opportunity to expand their business into the trading of buffalo robes with the Native Americans of the region. This was a smart business decision since the beaver fur trade was diminishing and they would eventually need a new source of revenue.

However, competition soon followed and in 1841 another trading post was constructed about one mile away and dramatically reduced Fort William’s control over the region’s trade. This new post, Fort Platte, created tension between the two forts and led to the redevelopment of Fort William and the changing of its name to Fort John. The prosperous buffalo robe trade did not last long with a steady decline in the 1840s causing Fort John to adapt into a new role of supplying the large influx of people traveling west to settle. The mass migration of people moving westward helped Fort John flourish. In 1849, the U.S. Army bought Fort John and on June 26 of that year changed the name to Fort Laramie. The Fort functioned as the preeminent military outpost in the region and also became a leading stop for stagecoach lines, Oregon Trail travelers, the Pony Express, and the Transcontinental Telegraph. Fort Laramie was the site of many treaty negotiations between the U.S. and the local Indians. These treaties clearly did not help maintain peace as tensions with the natives increased. These tensions turned into war and most people traveling westward picked different routes to avoid the hostilities. Several military campaigns against the natives were launched from Fort Laramie. As conflicts with the natives diminished so did the importance of Fort Laramie. The Fort was abandoned in 1890 and was subsequently sold at auction. During its time of operation, Fort Laramie was served by Sutler S.E. Ward.

Born in Campbell County, Virginia on March 4, 1820, Seth Edmund Ward was the son of Seth Ward and Ann Hendrick. He had three other siblings, all were sisters. Ward’s father died when he was 12 and he was subsequently sent to become an apprentice for an Indiana farmer. Two years later, he had grown tired of farming and returned home to his mother who gave him $25 to begin his journey. At the tender age of 14, Seth Edmund Ward (S.E. Ward) was now on his own.

Ward traveled around the country for a while going through multiple states eventually finding himself in Lexington, Kentucky where he replenished his now dwindling funds by borrowing $8.75 from John S. Brown. He then made his way to Independence, Missouri where he was quickly hired by Lancaster P. Lupton to work as a fur trapper in the Rocky Mountains. When he arrived in Colorado, Ward left the group of trappers and went to work for the company of Thompson and Craig who were also involved in the fur trading industry. He worked for Thompson and Craig for a few years earning $25 dollars a month. During this time, the price of furs dropped dramatically. Spotting a business opportunity, Ward formed a partnership with William Guerrier in 1848. Their firm, Ward and Guerrier, provided goods and supplies to the new influx of people moving westward to settle. The firm’s business took them many times to Fort Laramie which at the time was one of the largest settlements on the frontier. Fort Laramie will play a crucial role in cementing Ward into numismatic history.

In 1853, Ward married Wasna who was a Teton Sioux Native American. They had four children before tuberculosis took her life. On April 30, 1857, Ward and Guerrier were awarded the position of Sutler at Fort Laramie by Secretary of War, John B. Floyd. Sadly, Guerrier and Ward’s partnership would not last long. On February 16, 1858, sparks from Guerrier’s pipe ignited a powder keg and exploded, killing William Guerrier. Following Guerrier’s death, Ward hired William G. Bullock as the general manager of the business at Fort Laramie.

On February 2, 1860, Ward got remarried to Mary Frances McCarty of Westport, Kansas who was the daughter of a prominent hotel owner in Westport. Mary refused to move to Fort Laramie and stayed in Westport where, in 1861, she gave birth to their first child named John Edmund. In 1863, their second child, Hugh Campbell, was born in Missouri. Later that year, Ward moved his family to Nebraska City, Nebraska where he focused on organizing shipments while having Bullock take over his everyday responsibilities at Fort Laramie.

Ward continued to be the official Sutler at Fort Laramie where he served longer than any other individual in the establishments history. When his time as Sutler came to an end in 1871, he sold his Nebraska City home and moved to Westport which was annexed by Kansas City in 1897. He purchased a 450-acre tract of land from William Bent and built a house which is considered a historic house in Kansas City. In 1873, he became President of the Mastin Bank. He continued to be active in local affairs until his death on December 9, 1903.

Of numismatic relevance, Seth E. Ward issued 3 denominations of tokens all of which are made of copper. There is a 10 Cent variety (DT-FL-10C) which reads S.E. WARD. SUTLER U.S.A. / GOOD FOR / 10c / IN / SUTLERS GOODS / F. LARAMIE D.T. on the obverse while the reverse is blank with incused lettering from the obverse and is a Rarity 9. In addition, there is a 25 Cent variety (DT-FL-25C) which reads S.E. WARD. SUTLER U.S.A. / GOOD FOR / 25c / IN / SUTLERS GOODS / F. LARAMIE D.T. on the obverse while the reverse is blank with incused lettering from the obverse and is a Rarity 7. There is also a 50 Cent variety (DT-FL-50C) which reads S.E. WARD. SUTLER U.S.A. / GOOD FOR / 50c / IN / SUTLERS GOODS / F. LARAMIE D.T. on the obverse while the reverse is blank with incused lettering from the obverse and is a Rarity 7. It should be noted that there are modern counterfeits known of these varieties so care should be taken when acquiring these tokens and ideally would be purchased from a reputable dealer.

tokenpro

The modern imitations have Replica Japan in raised lettering on the reverse but I have seen several examples that have this wording removed and the area aged.

Namvet69

That's for that history lesson. Hope you locate that denomination. Peace Roy

DCW

Great write up, and I can see why they gave you an award!

ricko

Excellent historical post...@CWT1863 ....Thank you for the information. Cheers, RickO