Fort Buenaventura (Ogden, Utah)
Ogden · Utah · Mexican-American War
History & Significance
The fort was established by the trapper Miles Goodyear and his business partner Captain Wells in 1846, and was built near a bend on the east bank of the Weber River, serving as a trading post for trappers and travelers. Occupied by Goodyear and his family and a number of Native American slaves, as well as visiting trappers and emigrants, the fort served as a base for the rapidly diminishing fur trade in the Wasatch Mountains and as a meeting and trading post for overland emigrants.
With cottonwood logs, he built four log cabins, sheds, corrals for livestock and a garden, and it was from this home base that he continued to trap, trade and assist other emigrants traveling west. In November 1847, Fort Buenaventura and the surrounding land claim were purchased by recently arrived Mormon settlers for $1,950 (equivalent to about $67,379 in 2025).
The settlement was then renamed Brownsville but was later changed to Ogden after Peter Skene Ogden, who trapped beaver in the Weber Valley. Following flooding along the river in 1850, the fort was abandoned.
Prior to the replica's construction, during fall 1979, Dr. Evan DeBloois, a regional archaeologist with the U.S. Forest Service and adjunct professor at nearby Weber State University, completed an archaeological excavation that uncovered parts of the old stockade, revealing the fort's original dimensions. The replica was constructed using techniques from the original fort's construction, including mortise and tenon joints, and was made as accurate as possible based on existing evidence.
At least one cabin was saved from the original fort; this structure is preserved at the Weber County Daughters of Utah Pioneers museum as the "Miles Goodyear Cabin." In 2002, ownership of the park was transferred to Weber County, which now operates the fort and surrounding recreational facilities.
Key Facts
Map
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🧳 Visiting
What you’ll see when you visit:
- Replica of 1840s fur trading post and first Anglo settlement in Great Basin
- Weber River setting with walking trails and parks
- Historical exhibits on Miles Goodyear and early Mormon settlement
- Original fort abandoned after 1850 flood; current structure is reconstructed
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Buenaventura
- https://www.wcparksrec.com/fortbuenaventura
- https://historytogo.utah.gov/goodyear-miles/
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-buenaventura-utah/
- https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=171266
- https://www.cityweekly.net/UrbanLiving/archives/2024/01/10/ogdens-fort-buenaventura-is-home-to-utahs-oldest-house