In 1859, Henderson built a ranch, trading post and hotel on Henderson Island in the South Platte River in Arapaho County, Kansas Territory, from which he sold meat and provisions to gold seekers on their way up the South Platte River Trail to the gold fields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.
In 1859, Henderson created a trading center on Henderson Island in the South Platte River, Arapaho County, Kansas Territory, which catered to prospectors traveling along the South Platte River Trail to the goldfields during the Pike's Peak Gold Rush.