What is Bents Old Fort?
Bent’s Fort was built in 1833 by William and Charles Bent—sons of Silas Bent, a postmaster, lawyer and judge who in 1806 was appointed surveyor-general of the Louisiana Territory headquartered in Saint Louis—and Ceran St. Vrain—born in Missouri to a French noble family who were dispossessed during the French Revolution. Bent’s Fort was the largest of all trading posts in the mountain-plains region of Colorado. This massive adobe and timber structure was located on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail along the northern bank of the Arkansas River near present day La Junta, Colorado. This fort was an important point of commerce and brought traffic from the Trappers Trail between Santa Fe and Fort Laramie; Taos trade commerce between Santa Fe and Saint Louis; and from several American Indian tribes such as the Mountain Ute, Kiowa, Arapaho, Pawnee, and Cheyenne. Although it was not built for the purpose of being a military fort, Bent’s Old Fort was very important to the military durin
