If having business at Laramie they would go up the river to Laramie ferry or bridge, then by the mail route to White river.

Freighters frequently forded the Platte at Old Red Cloud, and then struck down the Platte a number of miles, to avoid the sand ridges that lay directly north of the agency. From the old agency to the new, there seems to have been several roads, and they were all called the Freighter's road. There was a canoe at Old Red Cloud, which was used in crossing when the water was high.

The Sidney road was all right for horses and mules but was not much in use by 'bull teams" for there were two places along the route, where the distance between water holes caused suffering and death among the cattle. This road was satisfactory during part of the season, but in the hot dry summer months, two of the watering places dried up.

The Sioux Trail from White river to the Republican ran parallel with this route, and it was used as late as 1876 by Brules and Ogallalas. Fort Robinson and the New Red Cloud agency on White river was where all the trails merged into one.

The fall of Red Cloud, and the discovery of gold in the Black Hills brought forth another leader of the war division of the Sioux. Sitting Bull came into the public eye ; and the depredations, and lawlessness of his bands grew more pronounced as the whites poured into the Black Hills after gold.