Benito Vázquez

Benito Andres Vázquez (1738 in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain – 1810 in St. Louis, Missouri), was a Spanish soldier and later, became an American fur trader who, while living on the western frontier, became a merchant and explorer.

In 1772, Benito finished his active military service shortly thereafter and began his career as a merchant and fur trader.

They had twelve children together; Felicite, Julia, Benito Jr., Francisco Javier, Antoine Francois dit Baronet (Zebulon Pikes' interpreter and an officer in the 1st US Infantry Regiment who fought at the battles of Tippecanoe, Ft. Madison and Lundy's Lane), Joseph dit Pepe, Victoria, Marie-Antoinette (died in infancy), Hypolite dit Guillory, Celeste, Catherine-Eulalie & the youngest, a famous fur trader called Pierre Louis Vasquez.

Benito had trouble making money in the fur trade because he was a small trader trying to compete with the larger interests of the Chouteaus.

After denouncing the Spanish governor at New Orleans for not granting him trading rights, Vasquez was jailed for 35 days.

When the first Catholic church was built in St Louis, Vasquez helped finance it and was one of the leading members of its congregation.

In 1807 the Spanish explorer and fur trader Manuel Lisa began organizing a trade expedition to the upper Missouri River region.

After ascending the Yellowstone more than 150 miles (240 km), Benito Vasquez (Jr.) helped Lisa establishing a trading post on November 21 at the mouth of the Bighorn River in present-day Montana.

[3] In 1809 Benito Vásquez (Jr,) joined Lisa's Missouri Fur Company, based in St. Louis.