Trails, tails and tales of an Arkansas Valley Adventure Quest!
After a recent move to the plains of Southeastern Colorado I
dug through my boxes like a West Highland terrier in cold, fresh dirt. Those of you who have moved frequently know
there is that period of not being able to find your clothes where you channel
rodeo clown for a few days. Sure you tossed them into a wardrobe box somewhere
but there are always a few days of total chaos. But I had to have something decent to
wear. I was about to attend a weekend of
historical significance to Las Animas, Colorado and we were new in town.
Santa Fe Trail Days
is an annual event in Bent County. It’s
everything you would expect from a small town that thinks big when it comes to
remembering and celebrating this rich heritage. There are art shows, parades,
wagon rides, dances, food, fishing and golf tournaments and food, oh yes
food! This is true community at its best.
The trail begins in Missouri and treks through Kansas to
come into Colorado in the Arkansas Valley through Las Animas. According to the Santa Fe Trail Association,
the trail was the first great international commercial highway in America. It was the way to adventure and to the west
from the east. It splits somewhere west
of Dodge City, Kansas and there’s a southern route that sweeps down through the
panhandle of Oklahoma. You can nurture
your inner history geek by studying this in detail at the Santa Fe Trail
website, santafetrail.org.
Just because those Conestoga wagons were packed down with
supplies at the beginning of their journey didn’t mean they’d make it to Santa
Fe without a stop or two. Come on,
seriously, if you’ve ever taken a road trip across Kansas you know what that’s
like. Pioneer kids needed a rest too and
so did the explorers and adventure men of the day. Brothers and fur traders William and Charles
Bent were explorers along with Ceran St. Vrain who built what is known today as
Bent’s Old Fort, it was a place to trade for wares that you would need on your
trip west. This trading center along the
Arkansas River was a place to barter hides and furs among many other
things. According to the Santa Fe Trail
Association, William Bent and partners were actually very good at bringing
people of different cultures together too such as the American Indian and
Mexican people. Bent’s Fort was a
happening place for about 16 years after it was built in 1833. Traders and
explorers could also get dinner around a campfire and a drink or two or
three. Those were the days before
government tried to tell you how many ounces of soda you could have in your big
gulpy drink.
Today, Bent’s Old Fort is open for visitors. The historical site is about a two and a half
hour drive from Colorado Springs. It’s
between La Junta and Las Animas on the historic Santa Fe Trail or what we know
call State Highway 194. If you plan a
visit around the fourth of July, you’ll experience a patriotic celebration
1840’s style with cannons firing, orations, games and food. When you load up
your modern day wagon plan a few more hours and check out more historical sites
around Las Animas too. It is truly one
of those day trips you’ll be glad you took.
~Anne Boswell Taylor
Anne Boswell Taylor is a former
radio and TV reporter and most recently worked with Richard at AM740 KVOR. She is an Oklahoma native who has called
Colorado home for 12 years now. Anne
received her degree from Oklahoma State University. She covered the Oklahoma City Bombing of the
Murrah Federal Building, witnessed and covered an execution from Oklahoma’s
Death Row and was the only reporter embedded with Tulsa Police on a
multi-jurisdiction drug warrant sweep.
She and her husband Chad are raising an 11 year old daughter named
Hannah. They enjoy target shooting as a
family and named their new standard Poodle pup, Ruger. Anne and her family recently purchased an
1890’s farmhouse near Las Animas, Colorado on the historic Santa Fe Trail. #SantaFeTrail
#SantaFeTrailDays #ArkansasValleyFun
#SantaFeTrailDays #ArkansasValleyFun
No comments:
Post a Comment