Ceran St. Vrain (1802-1870).
Fort St. Vrain, built by Ceran St. Vrain and brothers William and Charles Bent in 1837, was a non-military trading post for the Bent, St. Vrain & Company.
Located near present-day Platteville, Colorado, the fort was built much like Bent’s Old Fort in southeastern Colorado. The fort served as a major trading post on the Platte River until it was abandoned in 1848. Later, it became the first post office and courthouse site for what would become Weld County, Colorado.
Unfortunately, after it was abandoned for these purposes, it was allowed to fall into ruins, and by 1951, so little was left that the site was leveled. Today, only a monument marks the site.
©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.
Also See:
Colorado – The Centennial State
See Sources.