Bent's Fort was not the only one of its kind, but was by far the most successful. As its trading empire grew, it eventually put other existing trading posts out of business, and soon became the main supplier of furs and buffalo hides to the U.S.
Buffalo hides were valuable.
(Painting, "The Bison Trail," by Charles Marion Russell. Image courtesy of the Art Renewal Center, www.artrenewal.org)
Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo signified the end of the Mexican-American War in 1848, and trading then resumed.
Guadalupe Hidalgo Document.
(Image, Our Documents)
Mexicans with goods for trade/sale.
(Painting, "Mexican Buffalo Hunters," by Charles Marion Russell. Image courtesy of the Art Renewal Center, www.artrenewal.org)
California Gold Rush of 1849
In 1849, thousands of whites flowed past Bent's Fort and Santa Fe on the way to California. Their main impact was a cholera epidemic on the plains, and the deaths of thousands of Native Americans.