Bent's Old Fort

Our first 10 minutes after arriving at the fort should have been an indication of the day to follow.  We briefly talked with a Park Ranger who has a name very similar to Dave's.  Dave and Dave stood together for a photo op.  The rest of the day should be great!

Two David's with same last name, spelled differently

Bent's Old Fort

Another fort visited but this was a WOW! The 2015 Fur Trade Symposium was also going on at the fort.  Talk about timing.  The last one was held in 2012 in Pinedale, Wyoming near the Museum of the Mountain Man which we visited 3 years ago and one week after the last one (we did not know anything about it back then).  This symposium had living history demonstrators which were selected by a resume that was submitted months prior.  The amazing thing - these people who acted, talked, walked, lived in the period of 1842, were not volunteers off the street - they were selected. An in-depth biography with pictures and information regarding the person's expertise that they were bringing to the symposium was scrutinized for the best fit. AND!!!! Guess who was running this symposium?  Remember Kit Carson, the famous trapper, guide, military man, wagon master, interpreter, etc. ?  His great-grandson, John Carson was the person behind this symposium.  Dave and I were thrilled to get our picture with him.

Great-grandson of Kit Carson, John, with Dave

Bent's Old Fort was established back in 1833 as a trading fort for fur trappers, Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, and Kaw Indian tribes.  This fort was built on the Arkansas River was was the boundary between the United States and Mexico.  It was close enough to the Rockies to draw the trappers in and near enough to the hunting grounds of the Indians, and, on the Santa Fe Trail which ran from Independence, Missouri to Santa Fe (was Mexico at the time).  This brought goods from Mexico into the states and reverse.

Architecture is very Spanish

Señorita making frijoles

Two trappers just 'a strummin'

Looking across courtyard (inside fort)

The guy on the right was a hoot!  In character only!

Hides  (plews) bundled and ready to go out on next wagon train

Spanish flavor inside dining room

Indian blankets on bedrolls

Artifacts were well displayed

A partnership between brothers Charles and William Bent and Frenchman Ceran St. Vrain took advantage of the regular visitors moving along the Trail.  By 1846 the United States and Mexico were at war with each other and the location of this fort was ideal to protect the northern boundary of the US from invasion of Mexico, hence the fort became occupied by the military.  By 1847 with the death of Charles, William unsuccessfully tried to sell the fort to the US Army.  By 1849 William burned down the fort before moving his business 40 miles downstream to Big Timbers (called Bent's new fort). Nothing remained of it until 1960 when the park system excavated the site and replicated the fort based on drawings, paintings, and survey graphs from 1847.

Adobe brick making done outside interior walls 

Ovens and kitchen on outside of interior walls (keeping threat of fire out)

View from the second floor, standing on roof of first

Expansive courtyard

We were so impressed with this fort.  We heard Spanish and French language being spoken by people in period dress, saw trappers, Indians, military people, Frenchmen, visitors to the fort (traveling along the Santa Fe trail such as a woman teacher, ladies, children, emigrants).

Trappers camp - away from fort (the Fort would not feed them or their horses)

Making fire - blow!!!

Finally!  I would have passed out from the blowing

Indian woman - could not speak English

Trappers coming in - are they friendly?

Tense for a bit - someone knew one of them

A parley in courtyard

Two Bent brothers with a trapper

Bent's Old Fort was not on our radar by coming to this town.  Finding out more about Kit Carson was, and hopefully we will get to visit where he lived the last years of his life.  Terrific day!