Take a Road Trip to 4 Fantastic Old Forts of Southeast Colorado
I remember walking up to Bents Old Fort as a teenager and smelling the wood smoke, seeing the adobe “Castle of the Plains” rise up in the river bottom land, and getting to actually walk around inside! IT WAS SO COOL! It was like history walked off the pages of the books, you were there. I always did enjoy history as a kid, but I think this experience is one that really sealed the deal.
Since that time, I have been back numerous times for various reasons. It is one of my favorite places. It’s so incredibly authentic. The cool thing is that there are several other places like it in southeast Colorado, maybe not with such vivid re-enactments happening daily, but places you can see, touch and feel history around you.
For me, the cooler months of the year are amazing times to visit these places, which can be often really hot in the summer. In fact I have been to Bents Ft. several times in the fall and winter and the experience may just be that much more authentic. The fires in the courtyard and rooms really paint a picture of frontier life. Plan a Road Trip (or two), and enjoy these places that seldom get much recognition now, but where all the action was at in our region’s history. I’m going to start on the east side and work west - you can go which ever way you want!
Bent’s New Fort (Lamar, CO)
Bent's New Fort in the Lamar vicinity was built by William Bent in the winter of 1852–1853. The fort was used as a trading post and the Upper Arkansas Indian Agency from 1853 to 1859, after which time the U.S. Army leased it from 1860 to 1866. Bent’s New Fort is significant under transportation, commerce, military, social history, and exploration/settlement, and is associated with the Historic Resources of the Santa Fe Trail Multiple Property Documentation Form. On November 28, 1864, Colonel John M. Chivington led his soldiers to the murderous Sand Creek Massacre of a peaceful Cheyenne and Arapaho encampment from the fort.
Why Visit
This site is sort of similar to what Bents Old Fort would have looked like before it was rebuilt by the NPS. However Bents New Fort was made of rock, so you can see it more clearly. It is interesting to compare the two. Also as a part of the dark history of the Sand Creek Massacre.
To Visit
Pick up a map and directions at the Welcome Center in Lamar. The parking lot for the fort is directly across from the fort. Not much remains of Bent's fort and the military fort built on top of it but the map from the Welcome center is quite detailed. With a little bit of imagination you can see what the fort was like. Paths are primitive but easily walked. The site used to be on private land, now it is open to the public.
https://thegreathighprairie.com/bents-new-fort/
https://www.historycolorado.org/
Bents Old Fort (La Junta, CO)
Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site features a reconstructed 1840s adobe fur trading post on the mountain branch of the Santa Fe Trail where traders, trappers, travelers, and the Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes came together in peaceful terms for trade. Today, living historians recreate the sights, sounds, and smells of the past with guided tours, demonstrations and special events. - (From Bents Fort Website)
Why Visit
This exact replica of the Old fort is an incredible living history museum. It is interesting and entertaining for kids and adults alike. You will feel like you went back to 1840. Give yourself time to explore the fort and make sure to visit the book store too!
To Visit
35110 State Highway 194 E.
La Junta, CO 81050
(719) 383-5010
https://www.nps.gov/beol/index.htm
Francisco Fort (La Veta, CO)
Francisco Fort Museum is housed in the last original adobe Fort in Colorado. Founded in 1862 as a trading post by Colonel John Francisco, the Fort has been at the heart of Spanish Peaks country ever since. The Fort served as gateway for goods flowing out of the region as well as supplies and people flowing in. Within a few years, the railroad arrived in La Veta, running a spur directly to the Fort. Soon after, the railroad was built over La Veta Pass - at the time the highest railroad cross in the world - and into the San Luis Valley. The town of La Veta grew up around the Fort, which continued to serve as a hotel, post office, storehouse, and private home. (From the Francisco Ft. Website)
Why Visit
This is the ONLY entirely original adobe Fort in Colorado! How cool is that! While there isn’t re-enactments happening daily, the setting is what it would have been in 1860’s.
To Visit
The Fort is currently closed for renovations and repairs. Re-opening in the future. But the website says you can still walk around the grounds and look.
306 South Main Street
La Veta, CO 81055
(719) 742-5501
You may reach the director by phone at 719-742-5501 or by email: director@franciscofort.org
https://www.franciscofort.org/
Ft. Garland Museum & Cultural Center (Ft. Garland, CO)
Fort Garland was built in 1858, ten years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, during American expansion into the west. Today, visitors can explore life in a nineteenth century military fort by walking the parade grounds and touring five of the original adobe buildings. Learn about the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry who were stationed at the Fort from 1876 to 1879. Discover Colorado’s role in the Civil War in the West exhibit. Rich in military history, Fort Garland highlights the women and children who brought a bit of home to the fort. (Taken from History Colorado Ft. Garland website)
Why Visit
This Fort is slightly different in that it has more of a military focus than trading compared to the other forts looked at on the road trip. It is also large because of that.
To Visit
Hours: Monday-Saturday, 9 am-5 pm
Contact: 719-379-3512
Parking: Free at both Fort Garland Museum and Pike's Stockade
29477 Highway 159, Fort Garland, CO, 81133
https://www.historycolorado.org/fort-garland-museum-cultural-center
