Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site
Bent's Old Fort is a fort located in Otero County in southeastern Colorado, United States. A company owned by Charles Bent and William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain built the fort in 1833 to trade with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Plains Indians and trappers for buffalo robes. For much of its 16-year history, the fort was the only major white American permanent settlement on the Santa Fe Trail between Missouri and the Mexican settlements. It was destroyed in 1849.
Bent's Old Fort
Approach to Bent's Old Fort, Colorado. Wetlands protecting the north trail.
Bent's Old Fort, Lower Level Plan
Bent's Old Fort entrance sign in Otero County, Colorado
Otero County is a county located in the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2020 census, the population was 18,690. The county seat is La Junta. The county was named for Miguel Antonio Otero, one of the founders of the town of La Junta and a member of a prominent Hispanic family.
Otero County Courthouse in La Junta
Otero Museum and Fine Arts League in La Junta
Cattle feedlot in Otero County west of Rocky Ford