(1809-1869) – The younger brother of Charles Bent, William was born in St. Louis, Missouri on May 23, 1809. The brothers established Bent’s Fort in Colorado in 1833 to trade with the plains Indians and area trappers. Furs, horses and other goods were traded for food and other household goods by travelers along the Santa Fe trail, fur-trappers, and local Mexican and Native American people. He also acted as a mediator among the Cheyenne Nation and other Native American tribes. Bent negotiated a peace among the many Plains tribes north and south of the Arkansas River, as well as between the Native American and the United States government.