Bent's Old Fort

In 1833, traders Charles and William Bent and their partner Ceran St. Vrain established a fort on the north bank of the Arkansas River, the boundary between the United States and Mexico (near what is now La Junta, CO). It was close enough to the Rockies to draw trappers; near the hunting grounds of Cheyenne, Arapaho, Kiowa, Comanche, and other tribes; and on the Santa Fe Trail. Old Bent's Fort provided trading opportunities and U.S. military support until 1849 when it was abandoned. https://www.nps.gov/beol/index.htm