***The locations you see in this video are located on Indian Trust Lands and Private Property. Searching for artifacts (Metal Detecting) is highly illegal. Just enjoy this site for the history and please be respectful of others property and don't mess with anything.

The purpose of this video is to create a digital record of Fort Kit Carson, located on the bank of the Green River in Utah's Uintah Basin. I'm hoping to create interest in the old fort, so others will perform further research and keep this historical site from falling further into oblivion.

Fort Kit Carson was built by Antione Robidoux. Mr. Robidoux was famous during the fur trade for his construction of forts and trading post's.

It's estimated Fort Kit Carson was established around 1831 or 1832 and remained in use until abandoned by the Hudson Bay Company at the end of the Beaver Fur Trade.

Unlike Bent's Fort located on the Arkansas River in Colorado, which was later turned into a military post and then a national historic site. As a result of it's remote location, Fort Kit Carson was all but lost to history and quickly fell into disrepair after the Rocky Mountain fur trade had ended.

The Fort was constructed of adobe and as a result of erosion and periodic flooding of the Green River, has slowly eroded away. As of the year 2023, the creator of this video could find no remnants of the old fort. I was able to find what appeared to be traces of the old walls.

In 1934 Professor Albert B. Reagan was invited to conduct an investigation of the remains of the old fort. If not for Mr. Reagans efforts, all specifics of this historical fort would have been forever lost to history.

Items of interest not mentioned in this video:

1. Professor Reagan observed Fort Kit Carson was unique among other western forts of the time period. As a defensive measure, Antione had built a special wall directly in front of the main access door.

The purpose of the wall was to prevent attackers from using a ram rod to knock down the door and gain access into the fort. This also prevented attackers from being able to easily build a fire in front of the door and burn it down during an attack.

For all of Antione's faults, he was a master fort builder.

2. After the Hudson Bay Company (HBC) took over the fort, they were attacked by the American Fur Company (AFC). The AFC was trying to steal the HBC's horses. The HBC was able to gather up all their horses and move the herd into the fort and fend off the attack.

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