|
Bent's Fort, LaJunta, Colorado
William and
Charles Bent, along with Ceran St. Vrain, built the original fort on
this site in 1833 to trade with plains
Indians
and
trappers. The adobe fort quickly became the center of the Bent,
St.Vrain Company's expanding trade empire that included Fort St.Vrain to
the north and Fort Adobe to the south, along with company stores in Mexico
at Taos and
Santa Fe.
The primary trade was with the Southern
Cheyenne
and
Arapaho
Indians
for
buffalo
robes.
For much of its 16-year history, the fort was the
only major permanent white settlement on the
Santa Fe
Trail
between
Missouri
and the Mexican settlements. The fort provided explorers, adventurers, and
the U.S. Army a place to get needed supplies, wagon repairs, livestock,
good food, water and company, rest and protection in this vast "Great
American Desert."
|
Bent's Fort in La Junta,
Colorado,
courtesy National Park Service. |
Please report
broken links, missing pictures, or other problems online by clicking
