Fort Jackson (Weld County, Colorado)
Weld County · Colorado
History & Significance
In summer 1837, Henry Fraeb and Peter Sarpy arrived on the South Platte River a few miles north of present-day Fort Lupton with $10,909.75 worth of trade goods for the Cheyenne and Arapaho who frequented the area. The partners constructed a stockade adobe trade fort named Fort Jackson.
Built near the wintering grounds of the Cheyenne and Arapaho, the fort was positioned to trade buffalo robes the Native Americans produced after summer hunts. During 1837–38, inventory records showed Fort Jackson took in 2,920 bison robes worth $9,715.87.
In October 1838 the post was transferred to Bent, St. Vrain & Company, which operated Fort St. Vrain, and following the inventory transfer, Fort Jackson was demolished. Financial difficulties from the Panic of 1837 likely contributed to the fort's closure. The fort's history remains an important part of Colorado's fur trade narrative.
Key Facts
Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fort_Jackson_(Colorado)
- https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/fort-jackson
- https://coloradoencyclopedia.org/article/nineteenth-century-trading-posts
- https://www.legendsofamerica.com/fort-jackson-colorado/
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Henry_Fraeb
- https://greeleymuseums.com/fort-jackson/
- https://fortwiki.com/Fort_Jackson_(5)