The
photo above is of the military warehouse. Even though the fort was privately
owned and operated, there were national and international issues that
thrust the role of the fort into a much bigger picture. Located less than
1/2 mile north of the Mexican border, and on the southern edge of the
Louisiana purchase, Bent's Fort became a strategic point for the U.S.
Government during the Mexican - American War.
Located
in the room is ammunition, U.S. issue blankets, canteens, haversacks,
barrels, iron, and canvas, and other military articles of the time.
The
photo to the right is from the trade goods warehouse. This was where
fortunes worth of merchandise was kept in barrels. They were stored
there inside the fort's walls protected from the rain and the snow,
and from thieves.
This
is the fur warehouse. The fur trade was big business, with returns
of buffalo robes, beaver pelts, and deerskins numbering in the
thousands annually. As these hides were brought to the fort throughout
the winter, this warehouse was filled with stacks of skins. The
canvas wrappers you see in the corner are each 90-100 pound sacks
of buffalo robes. These robes were pressed into bales using the
fur press in the plaza.
The
photo above is of the military warehouse. Even though the fort was privately
owned and operated, there were national and international issues that
thrust the role of the fort into a much bigger picture. Located less than
1/2 mile north of the Mexican border, and on the southern edge of the
Louisiana purchase, Bent's Fort became a strategic point for the U.S.
Government during the Mexican - American War.
