Bent's Fort National Historic Site

COLORADO LEGENDS

Bent's Fort National Historic Site

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.

During the war with Mexico in 1846, the fort became a staging area for Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny's "Army of the West." Disasters and disease caused the fort's abandonment in 1849. Archeological excavations and original sketches, paintings and diaries were used in the fort's reconstruction in 1976.

Today, Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840’s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and Plains Indian tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Historians recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with guided tours, demonstrations, and special events. Interpreters in period clothing perform guided tours daily and living history demonstrations seasonally. Visitors can also explore the fort on their own using a self-guided tour booklet. An orientation film is available anytime during visiting hours. Special times are to be had during special events.

The historical site is open daily and a nominal fee is charged.

Contact Information:

Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
35110 Hwy.194 East
La Junta, Colorado 81050

719-383-5010

Source: National Park Service

Bent's Fort in La Junta, Colorado , courtesy National Park Service

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