NPS Photo Bicentennial Commemorations— Thursday, July 4, 2024, 10:00 a.m. This program will explore how the 1976 Bicentennial became a catalyst for commemorating history in southeast Colorado, leading to the reconstruction of Bent's Old Fort and the beginning of the Amache Pilgrimage. The Fall of Bent's Fort: 175 Years Later—Saturday, August 17, 2024, 10:00 a.m. On August 21, 1849 William Bent abandoned his “old” fort. This action has become shrouded in mythology and this program will explore the events leading to the end of Bent’s first post along the Arkansas River. The Smell of Death—Saturday, September 7, 2024, 10:00 a.m. What a difference a generation makes! This program will explore the distinctly different procedures between Buffalo Hunting for the Robe Trade at Bent's Old Fort in the 1830s and 1840s, and the Great Slaughter of the 1870s Significantly Others—Saturday, October 12, 2024, 10:00 a.m. The success of the Bent, St. Vrain Company was due in no small part to the ways in which each business partner became embedded in local communities. This program will explore the Native American and New Mexican spouses and partners of the Bents and St. Vrains. From Trade to Tragedy—Saturday, November 2, 2024, 10:00 a.m. This program will explore what happens to William Bent's Family from the Abandonment of Bent's Old Fort to the Aftermath of the Sand Creek Massacre. Pike's Peak or Bust—Saturday, December 7, 2024, 10:00 a.m. Learn how the discovery of gold in 1859, and the settler boom that followed disrupted the equilibrium of the Southern Plains and led to the Colorado War of 1864. Guided tours of the fort are offered daily at 10:00 a.m. from Memorial Day through Labor Day. Take a tour to learn more about the people and activities at Bent's Old Fort in the 1840's. Below is a preliminary listing of prgrams for 2025:
The Lack of Choice: Slavery in the Borderlands—Saturday, January 18, 2025 This park ranger-led program will discuss slavery and the enslaved in the Borderlands including African Americans, Native Americans, New Mexicans, and Anglo Americans, with a focus on Bent's Old Fort during the Fur Trade Era. An Extraordinary Life: Jim Beckwourth's time in the Borderlands—Saturday, February 1, 2025 Jim Beckwourth lived an extraordinary life as a Mountain Man, Trader, Bent, St. Vrain, and Company Employee, and Army Scout for Chivington at the Sand Creek Massacre. However, his role in the region has been dismissed or he has at times been treated as a liar; is this dismissal of Beckwourth due to racial prejudice? This park ranger-led program will specifically focus on Jim Beckwourth's time in the Borderlands. The D.A.R. and Bent's Old Fort—Saturday, March 15, 2025 This park ranger-led program will discuss the many connections between the site and the Daughters of the American Revolution (D.A.R.), specifically looking at the organization's importance in preservation and commemoration at this site among others. Don't Lose Your Shirt: Spanish Monte as played in the Borderlands in the Early to Mid-Nineteenth Century—Saturday, April 5, 2025 This interactive living history program will allow attendees to participate and learn the card game, while also discussing the role of gambling as entertainment in the Borderlands. Presented by Volunteer Bill Gwaltney. Toiling in the Shadows: Laborers of Bent, St. Vrain, and Company—Saturday, May 3, 2025 This park ranger-led program will discuss the crucial yet forgotten people that made Bent, St. Vrain, and Company a success, specifically the laborers from New Mexico and the French-Canadians who sweated through the less glamorous but crucial tasks that helped the company thrive. A Reexamination of Roles: Bent's Fort as a Military Installation?—Saturday, June 14, 2025 This park ranger-led program will discuss the reality of the situation in 1846 when the US Army of the West arrived on site in preparation for the invasion of New Mexico, essentially converting the fort into a Forward Operating Base on the Mexican Border. Pompey: The Man on the Dollar—Saturday, July 5, 2025 This park ranger-led program will look at Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, one of the more fascinating people to work for Bent, St. Vrain, and Company, who also led a fascinating time before and after. He's also the only company employee to be represented on US Currency! Invisible Death: Smallpox, Measles, and Cholera in the Borderlands—Saturday, August 9, 2025 This program will look at the many epidemics that were unfortunately part of life here and their effect in the larger history of the region. Presented by Volunteer John Steinle. When the Water Came: The Great Flood of 1921—Saturday, September 13, 2025 This park ranger-led program will look at the greatest natural disaster of the 20th Century in the Arkansas Valley, and the impact it had on the community and the ruins of Bent's Old Fort. Father Martinez: Patriot, Humanitarian, Villain?—Saturday, October 11, 2025 This park ranger-led program will discuss Father Martinez and his role in the history of the Borderlands. Lionized by Anglos and beloved by many New Mexicans, he remains a controversial figure to this day. We will attempt to present the facts as we know it and let the audience choose how they believe he should be remembered. The Great Peace: One of the Most Interesting Stories You Have Probably Never Heard Of!—Saturday, November 15, 2025 This park ranger-led program will look at the story of the Great Peace which occurred in 1840 between the Cheyenne, Arapaho, Comanche, Kiowa, and Plains Apache. It included a gathering of roughly 10,000 Native Americans seven miles downstream from Bent's Old Fort. We will discuss the intertribal warfare that eventually resulted in peace being made, as well as other events that occurred in 1840, specifically between the Comanche and the Republic of Texas including the Council House Fight in March and the Great Comanche Raid of 1840. Separating Legend from Fact: Mountain Men and Bent's Old Fort—Saturday, December 6, 2025 Free Theme--This program will attempt to separate fact from legend by discussing the Mountain Men, many of whom later became Traders and Hunters for Bent's Old Fort. We will show the difference between the Beaver Eras and Buffalo Eras of the Fur Trade and explain how the popularly mythologized era of the Mountain Men was finished before Bent, St. Vrain, and Company became the economic powerhouse in the Borderlands. Presented by Volunteer Bill Gwaltney. This program schedule subject to change due to staffing or other factors. Please contact the park to confirm. |
Last updated: August 13, 2024