Banner image by Howcheng, via Wikimedia Commons
This adobe fort was built in 1833 by William and Charles Bent and Ceran St. Vrain. It was the center of a trading network that incorporated Plains Indians and fur trappers, and it was a major stopping point along the Santa Fe Trail. It also served as a staging place for Colonel Kearny’s Army of the West during the Mexican-American War. People abandoned the fort in 1849, largely due to a cholera outbreak.
The fort has been reconstructed based on archaeological and historical data.
Details
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
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Type of place:
Historic trading and military staging fort
Ownership:
National Park Service
Contact:
Bent's Old Fort NHS, 35110 Highway 194 East, La Junta, CO 81050-9523
Telephone:
(719) 383-5010
Website:
Hours:
Summer, 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m.; winter, 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Closed Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Year's Day.
Guided tours:
Yes
Entrance fee:
Yes