Fort Buenaventura replica - 17 April 2021

Fort Buenaventura, located in west Ogden,

Utah Utah ( , ) is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. Utah is a landlocked U.S. state bordered to its east by Colorado, to its northeast by Wyoming, to its north by Idaho, to its south by Arizona, and to it ...

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, was the first permanent

Anglo Anglo is a prefix indicating a relation to, or descent from, the Angles, England, English culture, the English people or the English language, such as in the term '' Anglosphere''. It is often used alone, somewhat loosely, to refer to people ...

settlement in the

Great Basin The Great Basin is the largest area of contiguous endorheic basin, endorheic watersheds, those with no outlets, in North America. It spans nearly all of Nevada, much of Utah, and portions of California, Idaho, Oregon, Wyoming, and Baja California ...

. Built just east of the

Weber River The Weber River ( ) is a long river of northern Utah, United States. It begins in the northwest of the Uinta Mountains and empties into the Great Salt Lake. The Weber River was named for American fur trapper John Henry Weber. The Weber River ...

in 1846 by Miles Goodyear, the fort and its surrounding lands were purchased by

Mormon Mormons are a religious and cultural group related to Mormonism, the principal branch of the Latter Day Saint movement started by Joseph Smith in upstate New York during the 1820s. After Smith's death in 1844, the movement split into several ...

settlers in 1847 and renamed Brownsville (then later Ogden). Following flooding along the river in 1850, the fort was abandoned. In 1980, Fort Buenaventura State Park was opened, which included a replica of the fort at its original location. In 2002, ownership of the park was transferred to Weber County, which now operates the fort and surrounding recreational facilities.

History

Miles Goodyear Cabin - Ogden, Utah - 8 October 2022

Fort Buenaventura was the first permanent settlement by people of European descent in the Great Basin. It was established by the trapper Miles Goodyear and his business partner Captain Wells in 1846. The fort was built near a bend on the east bank of the

, and served as a trading post for trappers and travelers. The settlement's location is about a mile

west-southwest The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography. A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each se ...

from the present-day Ogden municipal building. In November 1847, Fort Buenaventura and the surrounding land claim were purchased by recently arrived

settlers for $1,950 (equivalent to about $ in ). The settlement was then renamed Brownsville but was later changed to Ogden after

Peter Skene Ogden Peter Skene Ogden (alternately Skeene, Skein, or Skeen; baptised 12 February 1790 – 27 September 1854) was a British-Canadian fur trader and an early explorer of what is now British Columbia and the Western United States. During his many expedi ...

, who trapped beaver in the Weber Valley. The fort was abandoned following flooding in 1850, and settlers constructed a new fort (Brown's Fort) a short distance to the south and east. At least one cabin was saved from the original fort; this structure is preserved at the Weber County

Daughters of Utah Pioneers The International Society Daughters of Utah Pioneers (ISDUP, DUP) is a women's organization dedicated to preserving the history of the original settlers of the geographic area covered by the State of Deseret and Utah Territory, including Mormon pio ...

museum as the " Miles Goodyear Cabin."

Weber County park

The site of the original Fort Buenaventura is now a park occupying . The park, which includes a replica of the original fort, was dedicated as a Utah State Park in October 1980. Prior to the replica's construction, during fall 1979, Dr. Evan DeBloois, a regional archaeologist with the

U.S. Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency in ...

and adjunct professor at nearby

Weber State University Weber State University (pronounced ) is a public university in Ogden, Utah. It was founded in 1889 as Weber Stake Academy. It is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities. History Weber State University was founded ...

, completed an

archaeological excavation In archaeology, excavation is the exposure, processing and recording of archaeological remains. An excavation site or "dig" is the area being studied. These locations range from one to several areas at a time during a project and can be condu ...

. The excavation 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 A mortise and tenon (occasionally mortice and tenon) joint connects two pieces of wood or other material. Woodworkers around the world have used it for thousands of years to join pieces of wood, mainly when the adjoining pieces connect at right ...

joints, and was made as accurate as possible based on existing evidence. One major exception being its construction out of

quaking aspen ''Populus tremuloides'' is a deciduous tree native to cooler areas of North America, one of several species referred to by the common name aspen. It is commonly called quaking aspen, trembling aspen, American aspen, mountain or golden aspen, tr ...

and

lodgepole pine ''Pinus contorta'', with the common names lodgepole pine and shore pine, and also known as twisted pine, and contorta pine, is a common tree in western North America. It is common near the ocean shore and in dry montane forests to the subalpine, ...

, rather than cottonwood like the original. Following a damaging windstorm, portions of the fort had to be reconstructed in 2000. This reconstruction was made using higher quality materials. Following budget cuts, the state turned over ownership of the property to Weber County in 2002 (and ended its status as a "state park"). Located at 2450 "A" Avenue in Ogden, the county-run park offers

camping Camping is an outdoor activity involving overnight stays away from home, either without shelter or using basic shelter such as a tent, or a recreational vehicle. Typically, participants leave developed areas to spend time outdoors in more nat ...

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other acti ...

and meeting facilities during the summer season.

References

External links

Fort Buenaventura
- Weber County Parks and Rec {{coord, 41.214802, -111.989943, region:US_type:landmark, display=title Mexican–American War forts Buenaventura Buildings and structures in Ogden, Utah Parks in Utah 1846 establishments in North America Populated places in Weber County, Utah Museums in Weber County, Utah Military and war museums in Utah Pre-statehood history of Utah Protected areas of Weber County, Utah Tourist attractions in Ogden, Utah

History

Weber County park

See also

References

External links