Built in 1833, the original fort was put up by the brothers Charles and William Bent as a trading post along the Santa Fe Trail. The facility had a diverse clientele, ranging from Apache Plains and Southern Cheyenne Indians to the dashing explorer John Charles Fremont and frontiersman Kit Carson.
Built of adobe bricks and measuring around 180 feet long and 135 feet wide, the fort was eventually abandoned and subsequently destroyed by the Arkansas River flood of 1921. Finally in 1976, the fort was completely reconstructed.
Designated as a National Historic Landmark, what is popularly and officially called Bent’s Old Fort, according to reports, currently has several structural issues. Those issues include deteriorating adobe blocks, as well as decaying roof beams and a sagging porch area.
Earlier this year the site was listed as one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places by the group Colorado Preservation Incorporated. In making that announcement, the non-profit group also said it was working with the National Park Service, History Colorado, and other parties to come up with a preservation plan.
How much the preservation work will cost has not yet been determined. The 1976 reconstruction effort carried a price tag of around $1 million.
June 30, 2026
By Garry Boulard
Postcard of Bent’s Old Fort
