fort platte

Fort Bernard undercut Fort John’s prices by up to 40% in 1845–46, until a fire destroyed it within two years. Visited by Francis Parkman and the Donner Party, it captures a fierce, short-lived challenge to the American Fur Company’s monopoly on the North Platte.

Built in 1841 to challenge the American Fur Company, Lancaster Lupton’s Fort Platte sparked a fierce three-year rivalry with Fort John. Bankrupt by 1842, it passed through four owners before being abandoned in 1845. Not even an adobe brick remains today.

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 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.