Concerns are swirling regarding the future of the reconstructed adobe fort at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta. Late last year, the Park Service closed the building due to safety issues with the structure, although now there are limited ranger-guided tours, and the grounds remain open.
A recent letter and report on the conditions of the structure from the park superintendent to the Colorado State Historic Preservation Office asked the state to deem the building a “non-historic structure” and “ineligible for the National Register of Historic Places.” The correspondence did not specify what the end goal was in requesting this determination.
Federal agencies are required to consult with the state before work is done in or around National Historic Register sites or sites that might be eligible for listing on the register. That’s according to State Historic Preservation Officer Dawn DiPrince.
“We don't get to stop projects or get in the way,” she said. The idea is for collaboration to protect important cultural resources in a way the work can be done “without harming irreplaceable things that matter to Coloradans.”
In a response to the NPS request, the state agency said it did not agree with the evaluation.
The entire park was designated as a National Historic Landmark in 1960 and first added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1966.
The current fort building was constructed in 1976 on the footprint of the original mid-1800s trading post that was a meeting place and major settlement along the Santa Fe Trail for trappers, traders and travellers.
The Park Service report sent to DiPrince said, among other things, there are records of “significant engineering and design failures,” with the reconstruction, including “accelerated erosion caused by incompatible materials.”
DiPrince visited Bent's Old Fort in March with other History Colorado facilities staff. She acknowledged that the building is not in good shape: a wall is buckling, the outer layer of adobe is damaged and other issues.
“But these are all things that we have seen at our sites,” she said. “We know how dire things can look, but we also know how fixable they are.”
The building is not in irretrievably poor condition, she said. "This is a very redeemable, fixable situation and that is what we have been encouraging.”
“Adobe structures require a special kind of care,” she said. “Here at History Colorado, we have many adobe structures in our building portfolio. We have a lot of expertise in what I always call healing these sites.”
The Park Service’s report said the reconstructed fort has had problems since it was first built and those issues are similar to issues experienced by the original 1800s structure.
Fixing the failing adobe is not something that can wait, she said it is “a right now issue.” Still, DiPrince said the Park Service has done a good job of stabilizing the building and that is critical to keeping it standing.
“None of these properties are perfect,” DiPrince said. “They all have imperfections and things we wish people would have done differently and constructed perfectly from the get-go. That is not the measure that we use to decide whether you are responsible for preserving something or not. We inherit the beauty of these spaces, these important historic spaces. We inherit the loveliness that comes with them, but also the flaws, and we just have to work with that.”
DiPrince calls the reconstructed fort an incredible teaching tool, both in the context of its role in the bicentennial celebration in 1976 and because it is an immersive space that provides for both imagining and participatory experiences of what life might have been like 200 years ago, like cooking tortillas over an open fire or making adobe blocks.
Living history and re-enactments have been a staple at Bent’s Fort since its reconstruction until recently, due to the closure, but there has been some controversy about how these activities should be managed and how valuable they are to the wider public audience beyond the participants.
No decisions have been made yet, and the Park Service is exploring options regarding what to do with the building, according to DiPrince.
When KRCC asked if one of the options could be to demolish the fort and how quickly something like that could happen, DiPrince said, “I really do not think that we need to be worried about waking up one day and driving out there and it being gone. However, I will say that demolition by neglect is always something that I worry about, not just at this site.”
KRCC reached out to Eric Leonard, the superintendent of the Bent’s Old Fort site. He declined an interview twice, and responded via two separate emails, “In continuing consultation with the Colorado SHPO (State Historic Preservation Office), NPS is considering eligibility of the 1976 reconstruction as part of the process to develop options for the future of the reconstructed fort at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site …We have no further information to share at this time, but we will update our website at nps.gov/beol as information becomes available.”
But DiPrince said she spoke with Park Service staff about their plans for community outreach and involvement and that everyone, including the National Park Service, can see how important the fort is to the local community.
“We need to work together as a community to ensure the best future for Bent’s Fort,” she said. “At the same time, we need to recognize that our friends at the National Park Service are really important ingredients in that. We want them to keep their jobs. We want them to be around. We want Bent’s Fort to continue being a national park historic site.”
With all the budgeting and staffing changes for agencies like the Park Service at a federal level, DiPrince said it’s an important site to state and national history.
“Even though we may be in discussions about what should happen with this structure, that does not mean that we do not stand in solidarity with our National Park Service colleagues, stand in solidarity with the community that cares about this.”
She acknowledged that there has been some polarization of opinions when it comes to the future of the fort.
“I think that we certainly can find ways to collectively be champions for this building, the site as a whole, and moving it forward into the future,” she said, adding that it’s crucial to be thoughtful about “all the communities who are connected to the site and all the communities who have loved it and all the communities that are yet to be connected to it.”
History Colorado is a financial supporter of KRCC. Financial supporters have no editorial influence.
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