Great all Around Prospect

In 1834 a band of trappers and traders led by Antonio Montero from Portugal built a trading post East of Kaycee. It became known as the “Portuguese Fort.” A unique site, what little remains from the area have been donated to the Hoofprints of the Past Museum and includes everything from a sword, beads, and clay pipes. The 1860s brought new attention from both whites and Indians to the northeast corner of what soon would become Wyoming Territory. First, a gold frenzy in Montana Territory drew miners north from the emigrant road that followed the North Platte River. Mountain man Jim Bridger warned against establishing a trail through the Arapaho and Lakota hunting grounds, urging that another path west of the Bighorns be used instead.