Bent's Old Fort along the Santa Fe Trail

Bent's Old Fort along the Santa Fe Trail. . , Bent’s Old Fort along the Santa Fe Trail ,

At a distance, it presents a handsome appearance, being castle-like with towers at its angles…the design…answering all purposes of protection, defense, and as a residence. Second Lieutenant George R. Gibson, Missouri Volunteers, 1846

, Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed adobe trading post, originally opened in 1833 to trade with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians for buffalo robes and with trappers for furs. , The influence of the adobe fort quickly expanded into a trade empire that stretched from Taos and Santa Fe in Mexico to what is now Texas, New Mexico, Kansas, Missouri, Nebraska, Arizona, Utah, and Wyoming. ,

We have here a happy intermixture of nations and languages. French, Spanish, Indian, and English salute your ears at one and the same time, and I am often at wits end to understand all the appeals made to me by such a Babel-tongued multitude. Alexander Barclay

, Bent’s Old Fort was an important point of commercial, social, military, and cultural contact between Anglo-American, American Indian, Hispanic, and other cultures on the border of the United States Territory. It demonstrated that peaceful trade could be achieved among many cultures. , Today, the historic site is managed by the National Park Service, staffed by living historians who recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with daily demonstrations and guided tours. , An International River , From 1819 to 1847, the Arkansas River formed the border between nations. , Look across the river. When Bent’s Old Fort was active, you would be looking into a foreign country. The land on the far side of the river was Mexican territory until ceded to the United States in 1848 after the U.S. – Mexican War. , The Arkansas River was the boundary between other nations as well. The river was the unofficial border between lands of the Cheynne and Arapaho (north) and the Comanche and Kiowa (south). , While the Arkansas River served as a boundary between nations, it did not inhibit trade. Rather, the river carved a path for people, goods, and ideas, making Bent’s Old Fort a place where peoples and cultures met and mingled through trade. , In 1845 and 1846, Lt. James Albert traveled the Southwest on U.S. Army Expeditions, spending time at Bent’s Old Fort. He documented his travels with journals, maps, and illustrations. ,