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.

History
Fort Vasquez was built by Mexican laborers under the supervision of Louis Vasquez and Andrew W. Sublette as a 100' by 125' adobe trading 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 operation was not a financial success because of the competition in the immediate vicinity.

In 1840 Fort Vasquez shipped 700 buffalo robes to St. Louis compared to the 15,000 that the Bent, St. Vrain & Company shipped. 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
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.

Sources:
 * , page 115
 * , page 46

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Vasquez