Andrew Whitley Sublette or also, spelled Sublett (1808 – December 19, 1853, or 1854), was a frontiersman, trapper, fur trader, explorer, mountain man and brother to
William
William is a masculine given name of Germanic languages, Germanic origin. It became popular in England after the Norman Conquest, Norman conquest in 1066,All Things William"Meaning & Origin of the Name"/ref> and remained so throughout the Middle ...
,
Milton, and Solomon, helped establish a trading post with
Louis Vasquez in 1835. The present day,
Fort Vasquez, located on Highway 85, next to
Platteville, Colorado
Platteville is a Statutory Town in Weld County, Colorado, United States. The population was 2,955 at the 2020 census. It is adjacent to Fort Vasquez on U.S. Highway 85.
History
Platteville was founded on May 27, 1871, and was incorporated o ...
, is a reconstruction. After selling the trading post in 1840, Andrew left the mountains and was seen in El Pueblo around 1844 and 1845 (present day
Pueblo, Colorado
Pueblo ( ) is a List of municipalities in Colorado#Home rule municipality, home rule municipality that is the county seat of and the List of municipalities in Colorado, most populous municipality in Pueblo County, Colorado, United States. The ...
), traveling along the
Arkansas River
The Arkansas River is a major tributary of the Mississippi River. It generally flows to the east and southeast as it traverses the U.S. states of Colorado, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. The river's source basin lies in Colorado, specifically ...
, following herds of
American Bison
The American bison (''Bison bison''; : ''bison''), commonly known as the American buffalo, or simply buffalo (not to be confused with Bubalina, true buffalo), is a species of bison that is endemic species, endemic (or native) to North America. ...
.
He died in an encounter with a
grizzly bear
The grizzly bear (''Ursus arctos horribilis''), also known as the North American brown bear or simply grizzly, is a population or subspecies of the brown bear inhabiting North America.
In addition to the mainland grizzly (''Ursus arctos horr ...
in Southern California on December 19, 1853, or 1854. Sources variously place the site of his death as
Santa Monica Canyon
The western border of Santa Monica, California, is the 3-mile (4.8 km) stretch of Santa Monica Bay. On its other sides, the city is bordered by various districts of Los Angeles: the northwestern border is Pacific Palisades, the eastern bord ...
or nearby
Malibu Canyon
Malibu Creek is a year-round stream in western Los Angeles County, California. It drains the southern Conejo Valley and Simi Hills, flowing south through the Santa Monica Mountains, and enters Santa Monica Bay in Malibu.
Distribution
The M ...
.
References
* Lecompte, Janet; ''Pueblo, Hardscrabble, Greenhorn: Society on the High Plains, 1832—1856''; University of Oklahoma Press; Norman; 1978;
* Noel, Thomas J. and Faulkner, Debra B; ''Colorado: An Illustrated History of the Highest State''; American Historical Press; Sun Valley, California; 2006; ;
* Brotemarkle, Diane; ''Old Fort St. Vrain'': Diane Brotemarkle; 2001; Johnson Printing; Boulder, Colorado;
External links
Fort Vasquez Official Site
{{DEFAULTSORT:Sublette, Andrew
1808 births
1850s deaths
Year of death missing
American fur traders
People from Colorado