Labor Day Weekend Event on September 2 & 3: War and Calamity: Bent, St. Vrain, & Company struggles in 1847

There is a special event at Bent's Old Fort on September 2 and 3. Details can be found for each day at https://www.nps.gov/beol/planyourvisit/calendar.htm and then click on the specific day.

Bent's Old Fort will come alive with ~40 living historians doing historic demonstrations all throughout the fort and grounds.

In celebration of Labor Day, come see how labor was acquired at the fort in the 1840s. On Friday, September 2, at 2:00 pm, there will be a special ranger program with first-person interviews with volunteers playing roles as newly arrived travelers seeking employment at the fort.

On Saturday, September 3, at 10:00 am, there will be a historic weapons firing demonstration. At 2:00 pm, there will be a special ranger program about the events of 1847 that affected people at the fort.

175 years ago, events occurred in 1847 that marked the beginning of the decline of Bent, St. Vrain, & Company. Increased military and civilian traffic due to the outbreak of the Mexican-American War the previous year, and the resulting spread of diseases such as measles and cholera among the Plains Tribes led to violence, particularly with the Comanche, Kiowa, and some bands of Arapaho. Charles Bent, oldest of the Bent brothers, had been appointed by General Kearny to serve as the first American governor of New Mexico Territory. Only a few months into his term he was assassinated during the Taos Revolt. His partner Ceran St. Vrain had taken a large part in the military campaign that crushed the revolt. BSV & Co. employees and friends played a big part in the final battle at Taos Pueblo, during the trial of the leaders, and the resulting executions.

Increased raiding during the summer resulted in the recruitment of the Indian Battalion under William Gilpin, who was a veteran officer of Col. Alexander Doniphan's 1st Missouri. Sometime during the summer William Bent's Cheyenne wife, Owl Woman, would die following the birth of their fourth child. William Bent's last surviving brother, George, would die at Bent's Fort on October 23, leaving William Bent and Ceran St. Vrain as the only remaining partners. The previous year had marked the high point of the company's aspirations. 1847 was the beginning of its decline.

Come join us for this chance to attend an event at one of the premier living history locations in the entire country. Over the course of the weekend, you will see the recreated adobe fort, smell period foods such as buffalo tongue and ribs being cooked, see how people lived, and get the chance to interact with volunteers and staff as they work in a fully stocked trade room, kitchen, blacksmith, carpenter shop, or help to maintain the company's fleet of wagons. Here you will truly be immersed in history, in the place it really happened 175 years ago.

As always, visitors should be prepared for the weather. Water, sun screen and comfortable walking shoes are recommended.

Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site is located on Colorado Highway 194, eight miles east of La Junta or 15 miles west of Las Animas. For more information, visit the park’s website at www.nps.gov/beol and click on Plan Your Visit, Calendar or call the park at (719) 383-5010.