Santa Fe Trail Days at Bent's Fort

Near La Junta, Colorado, Bent's Fort is hosting Santa Fe Trails Day this week.

Went today and admission is free for the duration of the event! If you have walking problems, there are volunteers who will shuttle you from the parking lots (one is for regular and one is for disabled) to the back of the fort where you can enter via either the side gate or rear where the animal pens are. I fed the goats dog treats on the way out.

Spoke with reenactors who represented traders who traveled along the Sante Fe Trail, a group that represented John Charles Fremont (no Kit Carson reenactor) and finally the hunters who worked for Bent's Fort to supply it with meat. The hunters had had modified trade guns and a few rifles. They were busy cooking buffalo tongue (ready tonight) for themselves.

There are talks at Obero College in nearby La Junta, but I didn't sign up for any.

If you bring you dog, you may not want to go down to the Arkansas river. The mud is slippery and in the rush to get into the water my dog almost pulled me down into the river.
 
If it's still there, I used to live in the old white 2 story house across the highway on the north side of Bent's Fort. They've always put on a great gig out there. It really IS worth it to make the drive out there!
 
My wife and I met some friends on Friday and Saturday at the Fort. We had a fine time there for the 200th year celebration of that fine old reconstructed establishment on the Santa Fe Trail. We even went to see Michael Martin Murphy's concert Saturday night at the Koshare Museum. Great concert, and Michael played for three hours with song and story. A fine weekend of living history for all. Bent's Old Fort is most certainly a national treasure preserved for us all. Was hoping to see the firearms presentation on Friday, but alas, it was cancelled.
 
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