Trading Post: Old Fort Bent, La Junta, Colorado
Traders in western North America could either work for one of the larger trading companies, Hudson's Bay in Canada, or Astor's American Fur Company, or they could start their own firms. The Bent brothers, Charles and William Bent, with their partner Ceran St. Vrain, decided to form their own company, trading with the Arapahoe and Northern Cheyenne. They built several forts, Fort St. Vrain in Weld County, Colorado, Fort Bent in Otero County, and Fort Adobe, in Texas. Built in 1833, Fort Bent was the westernmost point of White settlement on the Santa Fe Trail leading from Independence, MO, to Santa Fe, NM. The Bents also had company stores in Santa Fe and Taos, bringing trade goods from the east, over the Santa Fe trail, to trade with Natives for furs, particularly buffalo pelts. Old Fort Bent was made of adobe and quickly became a stopping point for emigrants heading west, explorers, even units of the United States Army. Traders such as the Bents, relying ...