Fort Sublette Ground Breaking, October 18 at 1pm
at the Museum of the Mountain Man
Thanks to a very generous donation by the Gooch Family (Rusty, Rosemary, Lindsey & Wes) and a matching grant from Sublette County, the Museum of the Mountain Man is building an 1830s era fort to be named Fort Sublette. The Fort will allow living history interpretation and demonstrations all summer long expanding the partnership with the American Mountain Men (AMM) who have provided living history interpretation during Green River Rendezvous and Living History Days for 25 years.
Ground breaking will be held on Saturday, October 18, 2025 at 1pm at the Museum of the Mountain Man with a short program honoring the donors and the strong AMM/MMM partnership. Dirt work to prepare the site for construction will be completed this fall. During the winter, cabins and blockhouses will be built off site and moved to the fort site in the spring and summer of 2026. When complete, a 100ft by 100ft log palisade wall will be built around the location with a gate opening onto the large lawn at the Museum. Optimistically, the fort will be ready for Rendezvous in July 2026.
Fort Sublette is designed anticipating what William Sublette might have built if he had chosen to build a Fort here in the 1830s. It is inspired by what is known about real forts of the time, including Fort Bonneville (1832), Fort William (1832) – later Fort Laramie, Fort Bridger (1842), Fort Hall (1834), Fort Boise (1834), Fort Buenaventura (1846), Fort Union (1828), and Bent’s Fort (1833). The living history interpretation, guided by the American Mountain Men, will include a trade room where visitor can trade for period items, blacksmith, inventory room, fur room, fur press, living quarters, Booshway house, supply/equipment room, tailor shop, dining/cooking, beaver press, corral, tack room, beaver trapping, beaver processing, hand talk, firearms, among others period crafts and skills.
William Sublette is the namesake of the new fort. He was among the small group of trappers who entered the Green River Valley in the spring of 1824 to find abundant beaver and friendly Shoshone Indians. Hitting the motherlode, they sent word to St. Louis for more supplies. The first Rendezvous was held when supplies arrived the next summer and 16 Rendezvous were held from 1825-1840, including six where Horse Creek joins Green River near what is now Daniel, Wyoming. William Sublette became a company owner (Smith, Jackson, & Sublette) and later primary supplier to the Rocky Mountain fur trade. He built Fort William (later named Fort Laramie) and several other forts along the Missouri River. Sublette County is named for William and his four brothers (Milton, Andrew, Pinckney & Solomon).
American Mountain Men – The American Mountain Men is a national association of individuals dedicated to the preservation of the traditions and ways of our nation’s greatest, most daring explorers and pioneers, the mountain men. Their goals are to keep alive the skills of the mountain men, to preserve their abilities and emulate their way of life as historically accurately as possible. As partners of the Museum over the last 25 years, they educate approximately 1000 students during Living History Days held each May, and thousands of visitors during Green River Rendezvous each July.
Museum of the Mountain Man – A dream since 1936 when the Sublette County Historical Society was formed and the first Rendezvous Pageant was held, the Museum of the Mountain Man was started in 1974 and fully opened in 1990 by a dedicated and relentless group of locals who were determined to make it happen. Thirty-five years later, the institution is thriving with over 10,000 visitors from all 50 states and at least 30 countries each year. It is the only museum dedicated to the mountain men and Rocky Mountain fur trade era. The Sublette County Historical Society, dba Museum of the Mountain Man is a public, non-profit organization governed by a Board of Trustees elected by the membership.
Bicentennial Expansion – The fort is the first step in a major expansion effort honoring the bicentennial of rendezvous (2025-2040). The Bicentennial Expansion envisions tripling the facility space, expanding interpretation of the Plains Indians, building an Alfred Jacob Miller art gallery and strengthening museum operation with a state-of-the-art collections care facility, among other initiatives. It is this generation’s turn to build on the great platform our predecessors worked so hard for, leaving a stronger institution that will last for the next centennial and spreading the story of the mountain men.
The Gooch Family Makes Generous Donation to the Museum of the Mountain Man
The Museum of the Mountain Man is honored to announce a generous monetary donation from the Gooch Family, whose deep roots in Sublette County and appreciation for local history inspired their contribution. The donation will be used to build Fort Sublette for living history interpretation.
Bruce “Rusty” Gooch was raised in an Army Air Force family and experienced many parts of the United States during his youth. In 1953, his ties to Sublette County began when he started visiting his grandfather, Cortland Tisher, whose property adjoined the land where the Museum of the Mountain Man now stands. Those summer visits became an annual tradition that firmly established the Gooch family’s connection to the Pinedale area.
After graduating from college in 1967, Rusty moved to Pinedale, where he owned and operated the Triangle R Lodge—a well-known outfitting business and motel that served both locals and visitors. In addition to his work as an outfitter, Rusty also dabbled in a number of real estate and business investments throughout the area, reflecting his commitment to the growth and vitality of the community.
In 1974, he moved to Jackson before returning to Pinedale in 1986 with his then wife and two children, Lindsey and Wesley Gooch, both of whom attended and graduated from the schools in Pinedale. In 2010, he married Rosemary Turk, who, though not a local, quickly developed her own fondness for the area and its history—further strengthening the family’s ties to Sublette County.
“The Gooch Family believes the Museum of the Mountain Man is an incredible asset to our community—one that keeps the history and spirit of the area alive for generations to come,” said Rusty Gooch.
The Sublette County Historical Society and Museum of the Mountain Man extend their sincere gratitude to the Gooch Family for their generosity and their ongoing commitment to preserving the stories and heritage that define this remarkable region.
Check Back Soon – More information about donations, ground breaking, purpose, and design will be added regularly.
