ABQjournal: Reconstruction of Fort Took 56 Years of Effort

Sunday, March 18, 2001

Reconstruction of Fort Took 56 Years of Effort

By James Abarr
For the Journal
LA JUNTA, Colo. — It was a rebuilding project that spanned 56 years of alternating disappointment and triumph and the persistent hopes and untiring work of many people.
It began in December 1920, when the La Junta Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution undertook a modest effort to mark and preserve the scant remains of Bent's Old Fort, built in 1833. It culminated more than a half-century later in July 1976, when once again the adobe walls of the storied frontier fort and trading post rose above the banks of the Arkansas River.

If you go
    WHAT: Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site is administered by the National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior; telephone (719) 383-5010.
    WHERE: In southeast Colorado, seven miles northeast of La Junta via Colorado 109 and Colorado 194. Fort is 325 miles from Albuquerque.
    HOURS: Open daily except Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Summer hours (June 1-Aug. 31): 8 a.m.-5:30 p.m.; winter hours (Sept. 1-May 31): 9 a.m.-4 p.m.
    FEES: $2 a person; children under 6, no charge.
    FACILITIES: A one-quarter-mile-long trail from the parking lot leads to the reconstructed fort's main gate. Inside the fort, visitors can view the 20-minute documentary film, "Castle of the Plains."
    A bookstore near the parking lot offers publications and information about the fort and the Santa Fe Trail trade.
    Self-guided tours of the fort's walls, defensive towers and many rooms, which are authentically furnished in the style of the 1840s, are available throughout the year.
    Living-history interpreters provide guided tours and demonstrations from June 1 through Labor Day. Tours for organized groups are available by reservation from September through May.
    Restrooms are provided.

    From the early days, efforts by patriotic groups and others to preserve the fort continued until 1954, when the site was sold to the Colorado Historical Society. This group conducted preliminary archaeological and preservation studies and decided that a full reconstruction of the fort should be carried out. However, the project exceeded the state's resources.
    It wasn't until 1960, when the fort passed to the control of the National Park Service and was declared a National Historic Site, that hopes of rebuilding moved toward reality.
    At first, even the Park Service, with its skilled specialists and many technical resources, debated whether the project was feasible. However, after many investigations by teams of experts in many fields, a Park Service blue-ribbon committee found:
    "It should not be overlooked that there is nowhere in the (Park Service) system, nor is there ever likely to be, another historic structure like Bent's Old Fort, should it be rebuilt. A reconstruction would constitute a unique educational, architectural and historic exhibit of top rank in the United States."
    In 1966, the Park Service, in a departure from its standard policy of only stabilizing and preserving what remains of historic sites, elected to reconstruct Bent's Fort.
    As a Park Service ranger recently noted: "Rebuilding was really the only choice. There wasn't much left to preserve."
    Actual reconstruction didn't begin until May 1975, after new studies were conducted.
    Even so, it was a major headache. There were no photographs of Bent's Fort in its heyday, so the builders relied on descriptions and sketches in the journals of travelers who had visited the post in the 1830s and 1840s.
    Fortunately, there was a sketch of the fort made by Lt. James Abert, an Army topographical engineer. He arrived at Bent's Fort in 1846 and spent several months there while recovering from an illness. Abert's careful drawing included many details including the layout of rooms and the fort's dimensions.
    Reconstruction was as authentic as Park Service specialists could make it. Adobe bricks in the style of the period were carefully reproduced. Cottonwood logs were collected from the nearby Rocky Mountains for roof beams, support posts and window frames. Tools common in the 1830s were used so that marks left on wood would be authentic for the period. Rooms throughout the fort were furnished in the style of the 1840s.
    Today, living quarters, trade rooms, blacksmith shops, the formal dining room and the billiard room, replete with its imported pool table, appear as though they are waiting for their historic occupants to return.
    After 14 months of work by more than 1,000 craftsmen, the rebuilt fort was dedicated in July 1976. The ceremony, which was timed to commemorate the nation's 200th birthday and the 100th anniversary of Colorado statehood, drew 4,000 spectators, who heard an address by Colorado Gov. Richard Lamm and were entertained by military bands and dances performed by descendants of the Indian tribes who had once traded at the fort.
    So authentic is the reconstructed fort that it offers visitors a unique experience. A walk through the main gate into the plaza is like a return to the 1840s and the golden age of William Bent's frontier trading emporium.
    Merrill J. Mattes, a Park Service historic interpretation specialist who managed a reconstruction team, wrote in a report:
    "All who have visited the project have marveled at the detailed authenticity ... and the impressive character and credibility of the whole effort. It reflects thorough research, ingenious architectural design and the touch of master craftsmen.
    "Call it a reconstruction if you want to be technical, but to those who waited so long it is truly a resurrection."