News Release

Separating Legend from Fact: Mountain Men and Bent’s Old Fort

Volunteer Bill Gwaltney in the historic costume of a mountain man.

NPS photo

News Release Date: November 24, 2025

Contact: Jake Koch, 719-383-5010

Contact: Mario Medina, 719-383-5010

La Junta, CO—Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site announces special presentations for Saturday, December 6th, 2025, as part of its “Stories from the Borderlands” program series. This presentation will be offered at 10:00 a.m. in the corral at the rear of the Fort, and 2:00 p.m. at Woodruff Memorial Library in La Junta, Colorado.

This program presented by park volunteer Bill Gwaltney will attempt to separate fact from legend by discussing the Mountain Men, many of whom later became Traders and Hunters for Bent's Old Fort. He will show the difference between the Beaver Eras and Buffalo Eras of the Fur Trade and explain how the popularly mythologized era of the Mountain Men was finished before Bent, St. Vrain, and Company became the economic powerhouse in the Borderlands.

Visitors should be prepared for the weather. Water, dressing in layers, and comfortable walking shoes are recommended. There are walking trails throughout the park, and visitors should prepare for the quarter mile walk from the visitor parking area to the fort. Bent’s Old Fort NHS is located on Colorado State Highway 194, 6 miles East of La Junta, Colorado.

For additional information and updates about upcoming programs, please visit the park’s web page at www.nps.gov/beol or follow us on Facebook for additional information about the park. For current information on the structure please see Status of the Reconstructed Fort.