Fort Wise

Fort Wise (1852-1867) - A trading post first established in 1852 as New Fort Bent by William Bent in Bent County, Colorado. The post was leased to the U.S. Army in 1859 and renamed Fort Fauntleroy after Colonel T.T. Fauntleroy, 1st U.S. Dragoons. Colonel Fauntleroy joined the Confederacy in 1861 and the post was renamed Fort Wise after Henry A. Wise, Governor of Virginia. Wise also joined the Confederacy and the post was renamed Fort Lyon after the deceased Union General Nathan Lyon who was the first Union general killed in the U.S. Civil War. The post was abandoned in 1867 for a newly constructed Fort Lyon.

Current Status

Markers and outline of fort in Bent County, Colorado

{"selectable":false,"width":"500"}

Location: Bent County, Colorado. Maps & Images Lat: 38.0944524 Long: -102.7601969 Multi Maps from ACME Maps from Bing Maps from Google Elevation: 3,737'

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 209
• Hart, Herbert M., Tour Guide to Old Western Forts, Pruett Publishing Co., Boulder CO, 1980, ISBN 0-87108-568-2, page 47

Links:

• North American Forts - Fort Wise

Visited: No

Fort Wise Picture Gallery

Click on the picture to see a larger version. Contribute additional pictures - the more the better!