Fort Vasquez

Fort Vasquez (1835-1842) - A fur trading post established in 1835 by Louis Vasquez and Andrew W. Sublette in Weld County, Colorado. Abandoned in 1842.

Fort Vasquez Marker	Fort Vasquez South Wall Interior
Fort Vasquez South Entrance

Fort Vasquez History

Fort Vasquez Bastion

Fort Vasquez was built by Mexican laborers under the supervision of Louis Vasquez and Andrew W. Sublette as a 100' by 125' adobe post with 12' high walls.

In operation the post was run by Louis Vasquez, Andrew Sublette transported the trade goods and furs to and from St. Louis. It took as many 22 employees to run the post and the trading/trapping operations.

The fort was sold for $800 in 1840 to two traders who subsequently abandoned the post in 1842 without paying Vasquez and Sublette.

Current Status

Fort Vasquez Bison Statue

Part of the Colorado Historical Society museum system, Weld County, Colorado. Includes a museum, a WPA reproduction of the old fort and a monumental bronze statue of a bison. The fort reproduction has a walled outline of the fort's exterior walls but no interior details.

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Location: In the Highway 85 median between the northbound and southbound lanes, Weld County, Colorado. Maps & Images Lat: 40.194618 Long: -104.820841 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 4,823'

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 115
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 46

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Vasquez

Visited: 29 Sep 2011

Fort Vasquez Picture Gallery

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