Historical Marker · No. 136
Sergeant Leodegar Schnyder
Saline County · Nebraska
Erected by Saline County and Nebraska State Historical Society
At Fort Laramie the ordnance sergeant kept the guns. Schnyder had been a bookbinder when he enlisted in 1837, and the recommendation behind his 1852 promotion praised his honesty, fidelity and intelligence. He cared for the post's artillery, small arms and ammunition and also served as assistant post librarian. From 1884 to 1886 he and his family lived in the noncommissioned officers' quarters that the National Park Service now interprets at Fort Laramie National Historic Site, and its marker there notes that his career outlasted the fort itself by nine months.
What the plaque says
Sergeant Leodegar Schnyder Sergeant Leodegar Schnyder, who is buried in nearby Atlanta Center Cemetery, served in the U.S. Army for fifty-three years, longer than any other non-commissioned officer. Thirty-seven years were spent at the same frontier army post. Born in Switzerland in 1814, Schnyder came to the United States with his parents in 1829. Enlisting in the army in 1837, he saw action in the Seminole War. In 1849 Schnyder's company was ordered to the newly established Fort Laramie, an isolated out- post on the overland trails. During the many years he served there, it was a focal point for emigrant travel and military campaigns, instrumental in the settlement of the West. In 1852 Schnyder was promoted to Ordnance Sergeant and he later served as garrison postmaster. He was noted for his strict adherence to military regulations. Twice married at the post, he raised his children there. He retired from the army four years after being transferred to New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1886. With his second wife, Julia, he settled on a farm near Tobias, Nebraska, where he died December 19, 1896. Saline County Nebraska State Historical Society
Where it stands
40.42316, -97.33331 · Directions
Worth the stop nearby
- Rock Creek Station State Historical Park — 26 miA stage and Pony Express station on the trail southeast of Fairbury where James Hickok killed David McCanles in July 1861, with the court papers that cleared him, and deep wagon ruts.