Fort Pueblo

Fort Pueblo (1842-1854) - Established as an adobe fur trading post in 1842 by James P. Beckwourth and other trappers in Pueblo County, Colorado. Destroyed in 1854. Also known as El Pueblo. Fort Pueblo Gate Fort Pueblo Archeological Dig Site Building Fort Pueblo Interior Fort Pueblo Exterior History Established as an adobe trading post in 1842 by James P. Beckwourth and other fur trappers in the present-day city of Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado. The post was a 180' square adobe structure located close to the confluence of the Arkansas River and Fountain Creek. The post population varied from about 150 in 1847 to about 24 in 1854. The construction of Fort Pueblo was funded by former Bents Old Fort employees who hired Mexican laborers to build the adobe fort in competition with Bent's Fort. At the time, the fort was located in an isolated area along the then U.S. border with Mexico without much official scrutiny. In practice, the fort was said to be engaged in illegal liquor sales with the Indians. In later years the post population declined and it was inhabited by troublemakers some of whom were banned from other locations. On 25 Dec 1854, a band of hostile Ute Indians attacked the fort and killed all the men but one and captured the sole woman and her two children. Current Status Fort Pueblo Archeological Dig Original Wall Fragment Part of the Colorado Historical Society Museum system, city of Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado. An outdoor replica of the fort is constructed at the site and is not dependent on museum hours. This replica is not accurate to the original but represents typical features of a trading post. A separate building covers an archeological dig site that has exposed fragments of the original walls. The building is usually locked but the walls are glass and the dig can be viewed at any time. {"selectable":false,"height":"-500","width":"-500"} Location: 301 North Union Ave., Pueblo, Pueblo County, Colorado. Maps & Images Lat: 38.26760 Long: -104.61041 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 4635' GPS Locations: 38.26760, -104.61041 Fort Pueblo Site 38.26771, -104.61087 Fort Pueblo Replica See Also: Bents Old Fort Mexican War Sources: Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 112-113. Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 45. Gallagher, Jolie Anderson, Colorado Forts:Historic Outposts on the Wild Frontier, History Press, Charleston, 2013, ISBN 978.1.61423.903.1, 143 pages, page 49-50. Links: North American Forts - Fort Pueblo Visited: 28 Jul 2019, 3 Oct 2011