The Lamar register., 1889-04-20
History ofBent County

History Of Bent County.
Now that we of Otero county bay,
been cut off from the "Empire o
Bent" it will perhaps not be uninter
esting to our readers to follow ,
brief outline of its history. For in
formation we have drawn principally
upon the "History of the Arkansa,
Valley" published by o. L. Baskir
& Co., of Chicago, in 1881. In thl,
work the history of that portion Of
the Arkansas Valley included in
Bent county was prepared by Mr.
Chas. w. Bowman, now editor of the
Review and Standard, at Pueblo. In
the year 1926 Chas. Bent and his
three brothers-Robert, George and
"iiiiam-accompanied by Ceran st.
Nraln, established a trading post
with the Indians on the Arkansas
river, naming it Bent's Fort. In
1882 they completed a large adobe
fortress, which were the first i'm.
provements made in Bent county by
white men. The country was then
occupied by Kiowas and Comanches.
In 1891 Kit Carson was employed at
the fort as hunter. The fort was
blown up In 1852, by its proprietor,
while in a drunken rage.
Jno. w. Prowers was about the
first actual settler, coming in 1855.
He established the first permanent
herd of cattle in Bent county.
In 1868 the Indians ceded the
plains country of Colorado to the
Government, and accepted a reserva-
ton on the north side of the Arkan-
sas river, from Big Sandy to within
six miles Of the mouth of the Huer-
fano. The agency was located at
Point Of Rocks, which is now includ.
ed in the hrInentrout place.
In November, 1854, occurred the
deplorsble Sand creek massacre. Of
which so many sensational accounts
have since been written. OF thus
massacre Mr.. Bowman appropriately
speaks in the following paragraph: .,
"The writer is aware that various
and far different accounts of this
massacre have appeared. Public
opinion has nevertheless properly
named it massacre. 1t is no matter
for wonder those engaged under
Chlvington should have sought to
justify themselves in the part they
took. The same might be expected
of their friends; and, considering
numerous outrages and atrocities
by the Indians along the
lines of travel about this time, it is
not strange that the whites should
have become Inccnsed against them
as a whole. The Indians do not
write for the newspapers, hence their
cause must wait, like truth, through
the eternal years of Cod for vIndl-
cation. When passion shall have
given way to candid reason in the
generations to come, the tragedy of
Big Sandy, if not classed as crime
against civilization, will at least be
denommated mistake"
Fort Wise was garrlsoned in 1860.
1t was afterward called Fort Lyon,
and subsequently removed to the
present site of Fort Lyon, which is
still used as frontier post.
In 1868 the Indians were unusually
bad, and committed many depreda-
tions on the Purgatoire. The E. r.
Sizer, J. w. Prowers, VIM. Bent,
Thos. Boggs and Kit Carson estates
all suffered losses of cattle and herd
efS at IntlT nauus.
The town of Kit Carson was start
ed in 1869. The first printing press
was brought to Bent comfy by Chas.
W. Bowman, in 1878. Previous to
1870, the territory recently embraced
in Bent county was included in Las
Animas and Pueblo counties. In
February, 1870, by legislative enact
ment, Bent and Greenwood counties
were established, with Las Animas
and Kit Carson as county seats; but,
finding that two county governments
were too expensive for the amount
of wealth included in their territory.
an amendment was passed IN 1874