The main adobe building at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site near La Junta is now considered one of Colorado’s Most Endangered Places.
Crumbling adobe walls and other structural problems mostly closed visitor access to the replica 1800s fort more than a year ago, although the park service continues to offer limited guided tours to parts of the building.
Colorado Preservation’s Katie Peterson leads the Endangered Places program, which creates the annual list that was announced Thursday. She said the organization is ready to help save the building by working with local communities, state officials, the park service and others who care about the fort.
“We really just want to have a conversation,” she said "What does preservation look like for Bent’s Old Fort?”
Controversy arose last year, when the Park Service sent a letter to the State Historic Preservation Office saying the fort structure built in 1976 as a reconstruction on the original site was not eligible for the National Historic Register. The federal agency eventually reversed its position.
Peterson said the first step is to “have everybody sit at the table and just talk about why Bent’s Old Fort is important and how we are able to move forward given everything happening with the building itself.”
Colorado Preservation experts can help in a variety of ways, including drafting plans, finding funding or offering repair workshops, according to Peterson.
The National Park Service said in a written statement that it “is working to complete a concept study of alternative treatments that prioritize sustainable operations and improved visitor experience. We appreciate the support and interest of partners, including the City of La Junta, Otero County, History Colorado, and other stakeholders, to explore the possibilities and challenges that the replica fort presents.”
Bent’s Old Fort is a crown jewel attracting visitors to the region who want to learn about the Santa Fe Trail and even experience a bit of what it was like in that era, Peterson said. Many local families have generations of memories and connections to the fort, she said. Some moved to the area long ago when it was an active trading post.
“Our main concern is to help ensure that Bent’s Old Fort continues to tell those stories and continue to educate, inspire, and welcome travelers in Southeast Colorado,” she said.
Four other sites were added to the Endangered Places list:
(descriptions excerpted from Colorado Preservation, Inc. materials)
La Morada, an 1860s adobe building near San Luis in Costilla County, served as a spiritual and community gathering place, where the Hispanos known as the Penitentes offered care to those in need and conducted rituals like baptism and funerals. The structure’s private owner is working with organizations to stabilize and restore the building so it can become a community exhibit space sharing the story of the Penitentes.
Ordway Pharmacy in Crowley County provided medications for more than a century, and also had a soda fountain. Local organizations, agencies and the owners want to repair the brick building and turn it into a laundromat, an amenity the city of Ordway hasn’t had for more than two decades. And they want to add in a snack counter and arcade.
The Pearl Theater in Buena Vista still has the 1950s film projectors. The same family has owned the building for more than 70 years, but it's been closed for decades. Their vision is to rescue the structure and restore it as a movie house and community venue for Chaffee County.
Hartman Castle has a long and storied history in the Gunnison Valley.
