Fort Mary B

Fort Mary B was the first permanent structure in the Breckenridge, Colorado area. It was a wooden stockade built in 1859 due to the presence of Utes in the area.[1][2] It was renamed Fort Mary B for the first woman in the area, whose identity is unclear.[1][lower-alpha 1] The stockade covered a couple of acres and had a log cabin at each corner.[1] The first log cabin was built by Ruben Spalding.[3] The town of Breckenridge was established one mile south of the site,[2] which is near the Wells Fargo Bank.[1]

Fort Mary B
Stockade
Nickname(s): 
Fort Independence, Fort Independent, Fort Breckenridge, Fort Meribeh
Fort Mary B
The site was located very near the Wells Fargo Bank in Breckenridge
Coordinates: 39°29′16.08″N 106°2′49.9″W
CountryUnited States
StateColorado
CountySummit
Nearest townBreckenridge

It was first called Fort Independent or Fort Independence.[1] The fort is also said to have been called Fort Breckenridge and Fort Meribeh.[2] The town charter only list two names for the former Breckenridge area: Fort Meribeh and Fort Mary B.[4]

Notes
  1. It may have been named for Mary Bigelow, the first woman to stay at the fort. Or, it may have been named for a Mr. Mabery who helped build the stockade.[3]

References
  1. Hague, Rick (November 30, 2015). "How the early runs on Peak 7 at Breckenridge got their names". Summit Daily. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  2. Scott, Glenn R. (2004). "Historic Trail Map of the Leadville 1° × 2° Quadrangle, Central Colorado". pubs.usgs.gov. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
  3. Frank Hall (1895). History of the State of Colorado, Embracing Accounts of the Pre-historic Races and Their Remains. Blakely print. Company. p. 326.
  4. "Breckenridge Town Charter". Town of Breckenridge. p. 6. Retrieved June 13, 2018.
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