Fur Traders of the American West by Randall Parrish

Trappers, Traders & Pathfinders - Page 4

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Similar posts were found opposite the modern town of Onawa, Iowa; near the mouth of the Big Sioux River, and just below the mouth of the Vermilion River. Halfway between the Vermilion and the James Rivers, stood another, while Ponca Post was beside the mouth of the Niobrara River. Trudeau's House, sometimes called Pawnee House, was occupied for trade as early as 1796. It was on the left bank, above and nearly opposite old Fort Randall. In the neighborhood of Chamberlain, South Dakota, were a number of forts, operated by different fur companies as early as 1810. Among them were Recovery, Brasseaux, Lookout, Kiowa, and Defiance. Of these Kiowa, established in 1822, was the largest and commercially the most important.

It was built of logs, and enclosed with a stockade of cottonwood twenty feet high. Lozzell's Post, about thirty-five miles below Fort Pierre, was probably the first American trading-fort built in the Sioux country, and was occupied as early as 1803. It was of logs, and was seventy feet square, with bastions.

Fort Randall, South Dakota.

Early Trading Posts

The mouth of what is now called Bad River, formerly the Little Missouri River, was prolific with trading posts. This was the nearest point on the Missouri River to the Black Hills and the upper Platte Valley. When the first fort was established is unknown, but the more famous in the early days were Forts Tecumseh and Pierre. The latter was quite extensive, containing about two and a half acres of land. Scattered throughout the Sioux country numerous small posts were built. There were three in the valley of the James, besides one at the forks and one at the mouth of the Cheyenne River, one at the Arikara villages, and others on the Cherry, White, and Niobrara Rivers. These, however, were not important or permanent structures. Near the Mandan tribe were several forts, the earliest of which was built by Lewis and Clark in 1804, while but little later Manuel Lisa occupied the ground. His post later became known as Fort Vanderburgh. Beyond this point, we need not go up the Missouri River except to mention the largest and most important of all the trading-forts, Fort Union, at the mouth of the Yellowstone River. Probably, this was first built in October, 1828. In size, it was 240 by 220 feet, surrounded by a palisade a foot thick and twenty feet high. The bastions were of stone, surmounted by pyramidal roofs, the walls pierced for defense. A very large number of men were employed here, and Indians journeyed from great distances to trade.

Forts along the Eastern Base of the Rockies

Leaving this northern mountain country and passing southward, several trading posts were established along the eastern base of the Rockies, whose dealings were principally with the Indians of the Plains. The Portuguese Houses, near the junction of the North and South Forks of the Powder River, were occupied at a very early date, and were in ruins in 1859. They were erected by a trader named Antonio Mateo. James Bridger averred that, at one time, this post successfully resisted a siege of forty days by the Sioux. Fort William, named for William L. Sublette, stood at the junction of the North Platte and Laramie Rivers. It was built in 1834, and after an interesting history as a trading post, was sold to the Government, and rechristened Fort Laramie.

Fort Platte was an unimportant post, erected about 1840, on the right bank of that stream. La Bonti was a temporary trading-house, occupied in 1841, at the mouth of La Bonti Creek. In the valley of the South Platte River, about thirty miles below the present site of Denver, Colorado, were a number of trading establishments whose names and histories have not been preserved. Fort Lupton, also known as Fort Lancaster, stood on the right bank of the South Platte River, two miles above the mouth of the Saint Vrain River. It was built of adobe. Fort Saint Vrain was at the mouth of that tributary, and was prominent about 1841, when in charge of Marcellus Saint Vrain. Two other posts were in this neighborhood, but their names are not of record.

Zebulon Pike

Trading Posts in the Valley of the Arkansas River

The valley of the Arkansas River was long occupied by the fur traders; but, as these were largely independent operators, their posts were mostly of a temporary character. The earliest of them dates back to 1763, and was situated close up to the foot of the mountains, but the name of the daring adventurer is unknown. In 1806, Lieutenant Zebulon Pike built a redoubt just above the mouth of Fountain Creek, and it is believed that Chouteau and De Munn occupied a house in the same neighborhood in 1815-1817

In 1821, Jacob Fowler erected a log structure on the present site of Pueblo, Colorado but his stay there was brief. John Gannt and Jefferson Blackwell, who were successful traders with the Arapaho, had a post six miles above Fountain Creek in 1832, and ten years later, at the mouth of that same stream, either James Beckwourth or George Simpson built a fort which became known as the Pueblo

In 1843, there were two posts, names unknown, about five miles above Bent's Fort, inhabited by French and Mexicans. Their principal business seems to have been smuggling across the Mexican-American line. The lower Arkansas River had no post of importance, and was not greatly frequented by trappers. That known as Glenn's is the only one worthy of mention, and stood about a mile above the mouth of the Verdigris River, not far from the later site of Fort Gibson, Oklahoma. It was probably abandoned as early as 1821.

The one important trading post of the southern Plains was Bent's Fort, or Fort Williams. This stood on the north bank of the Arkansas River about halfway between the present towns of La Junta and Las Animas, Colorado. It was erected by three Bent brothers, all famous as Western frontiersmen, in 1829. It became noted in both the fur and Santa Fe trades, a great rendezvous for trappers, and a stopping place for all the wanderers of the Plains. At times, hundreds of men, women, and children were gathered in and about its walls, and many were the stirring incidents of its romantic history. It was 150 by 100 feet in size, the longer sides running north and south. The walls were of adobe, six feet thick at the base, and seventeen high. The single entrance was upon the east. In 1839, this fort had in its employ nearly a hundred men. Its trade was with the Arapaho, Cheyenne, Kiowa, and Comanche. Rather than sell to the Government at a price less than he believed it worth, Colonel William Bent deliberately destroyed the buildings in 1852. In the early 1900's the ruins were still visible. Today, the fort has been restored.

Compiled and edited by Kathy Weiser/Legends of America, updated April, 2010.

Also See:

Trading Posts and Their Stories

The Great Fur Trade Companies

List of Old West Explorers, Trappers, Traders & Mountain Men

About the Author: Trappers, Traders & Pathfinders was written by Randall Parrish as a chapter of his book, The Great Plains: The Romance of Western American Exploration, Warfare, and Settlement, 1527-1870; published by A.C. McClurg & Co. in Chicago, 1907. Parrish also wrote several other books including When Wilderness Was King, My Lady of the North, Historic Illinois, and others. The text as it appears here; however, is not verbatim as it has been edited for clarity and ease of the modern reader.

Bent's Fort near La Junta, Colorado,

courtesy National Park Service.

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