Greg Pierce

Built in 1841 to outshine its decaying predecessor Fort William, adobe Fort John became the busiest trading post on the North Platte, the “Fort Laramie” thousands of emigrants passed through. The Army bought it in 1849, launching one of the West’s great military posts.

Built in 1832 near the Green River, Fort Bonneville was Wyoming’s first trading post, though mountain men mocked it as “Fort Nonsense.” Its real legacy was proving wagons could cross South Pass.

Built in 1834 at the Laramie-Platte confluence, Fort William was Wyoming’s first permanent trading post, precursor to Fort John and Fort Laramie. Champagne christened its name after a dispute among its builders. Its exact location remains unknown despite decades of archaeological searching.

Henry Fraeb, a veteran of the Rocky Mountain Fur Company, died defending a hastily built fortification on the Little Snake River in August 1841. Whether a true trading post ever stood nearby remains disputed, its existence woven from local tradition rather than solid record.

In 1837, Pierre Sarpy built a seasonal outpost near Fort William on the North Platte to feed the fur trade’s booming robe market. Abandoned within a year, its exact location was never recorded, and Fort Sarpy remains one of Wyoming’s most obscure trading posts.