Bent’s Old Fort was founded in 1833 by William and Charles Bent along with Ceran St. Vrain. It was intended to be a forward base for their Bent & St. Vrain trading company, but it soon turned into a center for many other activities on top of the trading.   It was built to provide a safe place for traders, trappers, pioneers, and Native Americans to sell their hides and goods.  The two major tribes that used the fort were the Southern Cheyenne and Arapahoe, but many other smaller tribes used the fort as a trading post.  During its operation, the fort was the only major white installation between Missouri and the Mexican settlements.  During the Mexican war in 1846, the fort was used as a staging area by the US Army, specifically Colonel Stephen Watts Kearny and explorer John Fremont.  It was eventually abandon in 1849 due to the death of Charles Bent, disease, Indian uprisings, and discontent with the US Army. 

            Using original sketches, paintings, diaries, and archeological findings, the fort was rebuilt in 1976 near its original site.  The reconstruction is as close to an exact replica of the original fort as can be ascertained.  Stores of supplies, food, and water as well as livestock, wagon repairs, and medical care were available at the fort.   Due to a lack of wood in the area, it was decided that the fort would be made of Adobe.  The bricks were made of clay, sand, and water and either straw or wool was used as a binding agent.  These items were mixed in pits, placed in forms, and set in the sun to dry.  Adobe required much more maintenance than wood, but the fort was kept in good repair throughout its 16 year tenure. 

            The fort was a gathering place for many different cultures and provided a safe haven to meet, trade, and conduct peace talks.  In 1835, General Henry Dodge used Bent’s Fort to hold peace talks between the Cheyenne, Arapahoe, and Pawnee tribes.  This was the first of many peace talks between warring Indian tribes and to establish trade agreements with the Bent & St. Vrain trading Company.  Mexican laborers were used to build and maintain the fort and many marriages crossed cultural boundaries.  William Bent also married into the Cheyenne tribe and these marriages led to very good relations with Indian tribes throughout area.

            A Cholera outbreak and the death of one of the founders, Charles Bent, murdered in his Taos home in 1847, led to the fort being abandoned and destroyed in 1849.  With more and more troops using the fort as a staging area during the Mexican war and later Indian wars, William Bent became more and more frustrated with the government for not compensating him for the use of the fort during military campaigns.  Ceran St. Vrains inability to get the government to purchase the fort led to more frustrations for the two men.  In August of 1849, in an act of defiance, William Bent had the fort cleared of people, livestock, and goods, and set it on fire.  To ensure that there would be nothing left, he touched off the powder magazine which obliterated the fort.