Bent's Old Fort Gives Visitors a Taste of Colorado, Western History

If someone were traveling, working or living in the American West during the 19^th century, there's a pretty good chance they stopped at Bent's Fort.

From its opening in 1833, until its abandonment in 1849, the large adobe trading post near La Junta, Colo., was an important stop for pioneers, traders, gold seekers, Native Americans and everyone in between. Today, thanks to a massive reconstruction project completed in 1976, the fort - which is open to the public year round - serves as an informative history lesson on early Western life in America.

A National Historic Site, the fort hosts about 30,000 visitors each year. Visitors can take self-guided tours through the settlement or follow one of the fort's multiple daily group tours guided by an interpreter in period clothing. An orientation film runs throughout the day, and several times during the year, the fort hosts living history reenactments and events.

But people in period clothing and live animals aren't the only reasons the fort is such a big attraction - its colorful history is the main draw.

The fort was built by brothers William and Charles Bent and their friend Ceran St. Vrain, all of whom owned the well-regarded Bent, St. Vrain and Co., a prominent trading business in the west. They located the fort in southeastern Colorado on the Santa Fe Trail, the main route running between Missouri and western Mexican settlements. Because it was the only major, permanent white settlement between Missouri and Santa Fe, the fort soon became a key stop for anyone traveling or doing business in the West.