Albuquerque evening herald. [volume] (Albuquerque, New Mexico) 1911-1914, 1912-10-16

. BstR wes Iri "a respscsa a.remark-
abm man. wlrb Ifooi high In the 20.
TEEN edf \ hotn fthP Indians ana hiaI
white anuacfn('n. lSla, life. in fact, -
eaaA 40 have ahAeared him even 10
4 hla endanihA. Incidentally he waa a
nhrawA hn&, p,facesnful uuslhesn man
Who was spfootnlv never surpassed
a. . traaer. Charles Bent ana q.
vFain, having heooiAe involved with
heavY business Interests In Taos.
New Netico, n was william who had
practically comnlete charge OF the
post. ana Il wao williams undauntod
psrSonality that helped make the old
fort famous
Ola Fort Bsne vas Demolished in
1as9. Tor a number OF years thhe
government had keenly appreciated
tho lmpogtenca % itn location. haV-
ind mada extensive uaa Of Il as a
base Of supplies foe General Kear-
| ney'a Army Of the West during the
conquest % New Mexico In 1916.
Other military attachments Of lesser
importance also were pFoviHioned
here from tins TO time. Federal
representatives finally began to mo-
gotiate for the purchase Of the fort.
Bent held out Sor one price, sixteen
thousand dollars. while the govern
ment agents Would offer but twelve
thousand dallarR. Finally. gettInS
disgustsd with price haGglinR. old
Colonel William In great wrath re-
moved all his good OF value, except
Ing q few kegs or gunpowder. He
then set fire TO the interior Of the
fortress. and the powder. exploding
badly wrecked the entire structure,
Thus did Colonel Bent stop bicker-
Ing over terms Of sole and eyacuate
his firms property.
Subsequently, q portion OF THE old
fort was repaired aud used az a
stage station by Barlow, sanderson
A CO.. who ran q small express and
passenger line from Kansas City 20
| ,eEta Re, with q branch to Pueblo,
during the later days Of the trail.
a few months later the Benta de-
termined upon the erection of a new
fort, which waB located at q place
known as the Big Timbera, about
forty miles further west. This post,
which fully sustained the importance
held by its predecessor. stood on n
good camping ground, where there
was an abundance NJ water. II was
In locality much lrcqucnted by the
Cheyennes. Arapuhocs aud KiOwas.
who were then on friendly terms with
each other and this mutual good
feeling by no means harmed the
firms business.
Work ON the post was begun IN
the spring OF 1863 aud finished In the
following summer. This fortress was
maintained ~ a trading post until
1853, when Il was leased To the gov
eminent who added Il soldiers bar
racks and officers quarters and
named the place Fort Wise In honor
OF the governor of virginia. In 1851.
Virginia having seeded from the
union, the name was changed to
Fort Lyon, amer General Nathaniel
Lyon, who was killed ut Wilson
Creek. Missouri, IN one OF the early
battles 81 the war. During the civil
conflict Fort Lyon attained some
military Importance aA Il frontier out
post. II was used especially a. n
point for recruiting the territorial
troops thut repulhed the confederate
Invasion OF New Mexico.
Fort Wise, or Old Fort lyon, stood
On the north aide OF the river banK
on the old Santa Fe Trail and near
the present town Of prowrrE, Colo
RADIO. In the spring Of 1866 the Ar
kansas, Overfluwing lts banks, M un-
drrmlned the wallis Of this historic
structure nv 10 ruin II forever for
military purpOsca II accordingly
was abandoned. and on June .. 1857,
VA camp was established about TWEEN
ty-two miles down stream ON the
north bank near the present thriving
little city Of Las Anlmns. Here, un-
der the direction ~ General Marcy,
chief Gf the engineering corps, the
site for q new furt Lyon wnH sur
veyed and construction was begun.
The Cheyennrs and Arapahoes for
merly had been numerous In this vi
clnlty, but after the massacre al sand
Creek Ia 1854 they rarely were seen.
Those who did appear were pence.
able, and. az u consequence. this fort
never played II prominent part In
Indian affairs,
! II II significant TO observe that IN
1879 there were over one thousand
acres Of land under cultivation within
ten miles Of the post" Irrigation ia
cilitles were secured by means Of u
smal! canal leading from the Purga-
tory River, II small stream or creek
! which empties Into the ArknnHaA
about two ana Il half miles west Of
the fort. To-day this region In called
the Valley az Content--it In one Of
the garden spots Of the continent
where fabulous Yields Of fruits, cc-
reals. alfalfa and sugar bects are
grown annually.
In 1875 the town Of West Las AMI
mas is spoken OF Az the terminus Of
} the Arkansas Valley Railroad, now
part Of the Santa Fe. II connected
with the terminus OF the A. r. Il T.
r. II. r." NJ Granada, fifty-five
miles east.
The Indians, the tFappers and the
, days OF romance are gone; only their
: memory dim and shadowy, survives
The ruins OF old Fort Bent still can
J be seen on a ranch belonging TO A.
J u. HeynoldB. about six miles north
east OF La Juntn. All that remain
Of this historic trading post are two
corners 81 the adobe wallis, about
four feet high. and some slight ridges.
Near by In Il grave, with q sandstone
marker, and not far from this mound
stands a small monument OF granite
which was erected In 1910 by the
nneahkaRa ~ h.