Colorado’s national historic sites and landmarks provide a fascinating window into its rich past, from trading posts to prehistoric villages. Exploring Colorado is made easier when visiting these historic locations!
Step back in time at Bent’s Old Fort, a restored 1833 trading post near La Junta. Or hike through Hovenweep National Monument’s cliff dwellings for an immersive hiking experience.
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site
Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site in Otero County in the southeast corner of Colorado stands as one of the premier locations for exploring American western expansion history. Built by William and Charles Bent with Ceran St Vrain in 1833 as an adobe fort to house their trade empire and as part of the Santa Fe Trail which ran from Missouri all the way through Mexico after it won independence from Spain just ten years prior, this landmark remains an invaluable historical resource.
Fort Harrison served as a center for commercial, social and military exchange between Anglo-Americans, Native Americans and Mexicans for 16 years before serving as an important staging ground for soldiers sent to fight in Mexico’s Mexican War and eventually becoming one of the major white permanent settlements on the west coast of America.
Visitors to Fort William Henry now can see a reconstructed version. Rebuilding efforts utilized archaeological excavations, original sketches, diaries, and original paintings as sources to preserve its appearance while providing a realistic depiction of life at an 1800s adobe trading post. In addition, there is an exhibit hall within the park dedicated to sharing its story through exhibits and programs related to this historic landmark.
Comanche National Grassland can also be found here, giving visitors the chance to walk along some of the Santa Fe Trail. Travelers may also wish to visit other historical landmarks nearby like Boggsville Historic District, Lamar and Iron Spring.
Fort Benton is open to the public from April through October for tours. These can be scheduled daily; their length varying according to how much time a visitor wishes to spend in each room. Guided tours are free and can be arranged through either the visitor center or with park rangers.
Visitors may explore the fort at their own pace, though should allow at least two hours. It has many rooms including kitchen, living quarters, billiard room and smithy shop – perfect for exploring at leisure!
After receiving an independent consultant report recommending changes to how staff and volunteers interpret the site – including reducing living history presence – there has been significant pushback against its leadership. Critics point out that this criticism coincides with an increasing interest among museums and landscapes in using storytelling platforms that represent all cultures equally, including those that have historically been underrepresented. Some local residents worry that such changes might go too far. Others fear the fort’s future may be at stake as a result. KOAA News 5 has been keeping tabs on this contentious situation, streaming online or through apps for Roku, Apple TV and Fire TV devices – this series sponsored by Allied Van Lines can be watched here.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Manitou Cliff Dwellings provides visitors with a unique combination of history and hands-on discovery at its popular tourist spot west of Colorado Springs. You’re invited to discover these 700 year old ruins while learning more about those who once resided here.
As the real-life equivalent to Mesa Verde, this National Historic Site contains Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings relocated from McElmo Canyon in the early 1900s and opened to tourists today. Boasting 40 rooms to explore, visitors will get a better understanding of life for Ancestral Puebloans who once called this region home.
Virginia McClurg was a journalist turned historic preservationist. Worried that Manitou Cliff Dwellings might fall prey to pillaging and treasure hunting like Mesa Verde in the Southwest, McClurg founded the Cliff Dwellers Association to purchase and preserve them – with Manitou Cliff Dwellings opening for public viewing three years later in 1907.
Cliff dwellings were typically constructed on remote canyon sandstone cliffs where their southern exposure provided warmth in winter and overhanging shade in summer. Access was often difficult as ladders or ropes had to be used to scale steep walls in order to enter or exit these structures.
Erosion may have taken its toll, yet Manitou Cliff Dwellings remain as an invaluable glimpse into a once-thriving Ancestral Puebloan community. Visitors can explore this historic site as well as two museums featuring Anasazi artifacts and cultural displays.
Manitou Cliff Dwellings are an ideal way for families to gain insight into this rich culture and how its inhabitants lived. Though not exact replicas, these structures give visitors a vivid image of what these incredible structures once looked like.
Michele says one of her most rewarding experiences at the Manitou Cliff Dwellings has been visiting with school children on annual field trips. Watching their delight as they climb around and discover more about its history is truly rewarding for her – one factor contributing to its popularity among both families and students alike.
Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site
The Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site in Colorado commemorates a massacre committed against members of the Cheyenne and Arapaho American Indian tribes during 1864 by US forces; over 230 Native American individuals were massacred here by soldiers from both armies. A visit to this national park provides visitors with a powerful yet moving experience, providing insight into US atrocities committed against indigenous populations at that time, and raising awareness of ongoing struggles between Indigenous communities and governments and militaries today.
The massacre was the result of many forces working against Native Americans during this era, such as competing desires for land between American settlers and indigenous peoples in the region, tensions over gold mining operations conducted by Americans and expansionist ambitions, clashing cultures on western plains and political or military leadership ambitions – among many others. It remains one of the most tragic events to ever take place during this era.
At Sand Creek, 675 members of the Colorado Volunteer Cavalry from Regiments 1st and 3rd slaughtered over 230 Cheyenne and Arapaho Indians who lived peacefully within their village – part of both American Civil War and broader conflict between Native Americans and government officials.
In 1999, National Park Service personnel joined with representatives from Cheyenne and Arapaho tribes completed archaeological fieldwork at Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site Study Act site. Congress had mandated such works. The team’s first task was to pinpoint and assess the location and extent of the massacre site, which they did using four major lines of evidence: historical research; oral histories and traditional tribal knowledge; reconnaissance-level archaeological survey; and physical evidence such as weaponry from that period – twelve-pounder mountain howitzer shells found at Dawson South Bend confirmed they had found it correctly.
The Sand Creek Massacre was an eventful tragedy that altered history forever. Although Chivington and his men initially received a hero’s welcome in Denver after returning from their brutal massacre of Indigenous people, soon it became seen as national disgrace leading to policies mandating more humane treatment for Indigenous populations. Therefore it is crucial that we visit this site and learn of this terrible event so as to avoid repeating it again in future events; additionally it offers beautiful tranquil surroundings offering peace and relaxation during visits or reflection.
