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 my wit's end to understand all the appeals made to me by such a Babel-tongued . . . — — Map (db m191922) HM
John C. Fremont
His name appears on almost any roll of Western pathbreakers. Fremonts expeditions were instrumental in opening the Southwest. He visited the fort on three of his first four expeditions to the West.
Susan . . . — — Map (db m180971) HM
The Arkansas River sustains a
tree-lined swath across the grasslands.
Making use of the trees and plants
available to them was key to the
survival of people on the Plains.
Groves of cottonwood trees offered shade for
people and . . . — — Map (db m180872) HM
A Mud Castle Rises
In 1833, Bent, St. Vrain & Company built a trading post on the semi-arid reaches of the Arkansas River on the U.S. border with Mexico. Few if any buildings in the American West approached Bents Fort in size and . . . — — Map (db m71847) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m181228) HM
Over the centuries, people living in and
traveling through the Arkansas River
Valley have used the natural resources
of the area to build their homes
and shelters.
Native peoples used bison skins to make tepees.
These cone-shaped . . . — — Map (db m180896) HM
Erected at the request of the Daughters of the American Revolution 1910 by A.E. Reynolds
Bent's Fort Santa Fe Trail as shown by ruins of walls in 1909
1822 The Santa Fe Trail 1875
This stone marks the point of the trail where the . . . — — Map (db m192004) HM
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 . . . — — Map (db m286236) HM
City of La Junta
Enjoy the present, Explore the past, Gaze into the future;
The local tradition of studying Native American lore began in 1933 with a group of young boys who gathered to study archaeology and Southwest . . . — — Map (db m286133) HM
Edward Dorris
Died July 21, 1865
Aged 31 years
2 Ms. 28 Ds.
Edward Thou Hast Gone to Rest
In This Far Country of the West
Brothers and Friends Mourn and Weep
Thou in this Tomb Dost Sweetly Sleep
Edward Dorris, a . . . — — Map (db m71850) HM
Explore the La Junta Region
A Cultural Overview of Southeastern Colorado
Historic Native American
A.D. 1550
Apachean groups arrive
Spanish
1590
Bonilla y Humana expedition (1593)
1680
Pueblo Revolt (1680) . . . — — Map (db m286244) HM
I wish I was capable to do Bent and St. Vrain justice for the kindness received at their hands. I can only say their equals were never in the mountains.
- Christopher “Kit” Carson
Charles Bent
Charles Bent led . . . — — Map (db m71848) HM
The land surrounding the Arkansas River teemed with wildlife. Most numerous were the bison or buffalo. They were the dominant species of the high plains, the emblem of the prairie. The fortunes of Bent's Fort and the neighboring tribes were tied . . . — — Map (db m192001) HM
Railroads Built this Town!
Modern Rails Mimic the Santa Fe Trail
The town of La Junta was established as a temporary stop on two rail lines.
Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railroad
The Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad arrived . . . — — Map (db m286240) HM
Although some American Indian groups practiced farming and gardening about 2000 years ago, it was not until after the Mexican-American War of 1846-1848, the 1858 Colorado Gold Rush, and the Homestead Act of 1862 that immigrants moved into the . . . — — Map (db m286308) HM
Recreation on the Comanche National Grassland
Get into the Canyons!
Vogel Canyon
Hike five trails that feature rock art and the remnants of the historic Barlow Sanderson Stage Road. Drive 13 miles south of La Junta on Hwy 109 to the . . . — — Map (db m286306) HM
When the Bents first traveled to this area they may have encountered elk, bighorn sheep, pronghorn, deer, grizzly bears, wolves, beaver, river otters, and the huge herds of bison that once lived here. Bison especially, provided the region's native . . . — — Map (db m180856) HM
Imagine traveling in the 1840s on the
Santa Fe Trail. You have just spent weeks
crossing hundreds of miles of lonely and
desolate prairie. There would have been
no help if you broke a wheel or an axle,
no help if you ran out of supplies. . . . — — Map (db m180968) HM
The Santa Fe Trail was an overland two-way trade road that connected Franklin, Missouri, with Santa Fe, New Mexico. After stopping at Bent's Old Fort for rest and resupply, traders heading east had about 180 miles to cover before reaching the point . . . — — Map (db m289485) HM
After a stay at Bent's Fort, traders heading west had a rough road ahead. The Sangre de Cristo Mountains loomed and the main route of the trail was through the rugged Raton Pass. The road was so rocky that in the 1840s a day's progress could be . . . — — Map (db m289395) HM
For centuries, the Arkansas River Valley has been an important travel corridor that has shaped our nations history.
Long before the fort was built, wildlife, native peoples, European explorers, trappers, and traders traveled through this river . . . — — Map (db m71851) HM
In winters northers howled ... In summer temperatures climbed above the hundred-degree mark ... Spirits shriveled as respiratory organs dried; lips cracked and eyes burned ... it took a particular kind of spiritual iron to survive ... . . . — — Map (db m71846) HM
Born in Kentucky in 1836
Came to Colorado in 1871
Established a general merchandise store and (trading post) at a rocky ford on the Arkansas River.
Moved store and family to present site in 1876, when Santa Fe Railroad was extended . . . — — Map (db m70390) HM
Travelers from Missouri would have crossed more than 600
miles of plains by the time they stood here. They picked this
more difficult Mountain Route of the Santa Fe Trail for its
reliable water. With less than a quarter of the trip . . . — — Map (db m180840) HM
