The Fall of Bent’s Fort – 175 Years Later

Presenter: Mr. Jake Koch

175 years ago, Bent’s Old Fort was on the verge of being abandoned. What caused that to occur? How did the heart of a business that previously had arguably the largest economic presence on the Southern Plains come to this? Over the course of this lecture, we will look into all of the events that resulted in the decline and dissolution of Bent, St. Vrain & Company, and the abandonment of Bent’s Old Fort in 1849.

Saturday, April 27, 2024, 4:00pm
Lecture at the Lone Tree Hub
8827 Lone Tree Parkway
Lone Tree, CO 80124
This program is free to the public; however, registration is required through South Suburban Parks & Recreation website link here, or by calling 303-347-5999.

Sunday, April 28, 2024, 1:30pm
Lecture at Goodson Rec Center
6315 S University Blvd
Centennial, CO 80121
This program is free to the public; however, registration is required through South Suburban Parks & Recreation website link here, or by calling 303-347-5999.

Sunday, April 28, 2024, 6pm
Dinner Lecture at The Fort
19192 Highway 8, Morrison, CO 80465

Dinner Lecture Menu: Buffalo Sirloin Steak and Terriyaki Quail dinner served with little red Fort potatoes tossed with onion, corn and Anasazi beans, and seasonal vegetable.
Dessert: Bobby Chaim’s creamy cheesecake drizzled with huckleberry preserves.

Dinner Lecture Ticket Purchase and Reservations may be made by calling Tesoro Cultural Center at 303-839-1671 or using the BUY button:

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The Widowed Ones – Beyond Little Big Horn

Presenter: Chris Enss

There weren’t many women in the late 1800s who had the opportunity to accompany their husbands on adventures that were so exciting they seemed fictitious. Such was the case for the women married to the officers in General George Armstrong Custer’s Seventh Cavalry. There were seven officers’ wives. They were all good friends who traveled from post to post with one another along with their spouses. Of the seven widows, Elizabeth Custer was the most well-known. As the wife of the commanding officer, Libbie felt it was her duty to be present when the officer’s wives at Fort Lincoln were told their husbands had been killed at the Battle of the Little Bighorn.

The Widowed Ones: Beyond the Battle of the Little Bighorn tells the stories of these women and the unique bond they shared through never-before-seen materials from the Elizabeth Custer Library and Museum at Garryowen, Montana, including letters to and from politicians and military leaders to the widows, fellow soldiers and critics of George Custer to the widows, and letters between the widows themselves about when the women first met, the men they married, and their attempts to persevere after the tragedy.

The Night The Stars Fell

Presenter: Mr. Ron Hranac

Former Denver Astronomical Society President, Ron Hranac, will discuss “What is a meteor?” His lecture comes at the same time as the early meteor shower appeared at Bent’s Fort during the Leonid meteor shower. Thousands of meteors blazed through the night and into the morning of November 12, 1833, as the entire world watched one of the most spectacular sights of human history. The event had a significant impact on the Plains Indians who believed this might signal the end of the world. After dinner, enjoy looking at the stars through 19th century and modern telescopes in the Fort’s Courtyard, courtesy of the Denver Astronomical Society.

Hawaiians and the Fur Trade

Presenter: Mr. William Gwaltney

This lecture tells the larger story of the American Fur Trade that connects it not only to the Fur Trade of the Pacific Northwest, but also to suggest that the Fur Trade was part of a larger commerce that was international on so many levels.

Given the volume and tenor that Popular Culture related to the Rocky Mountain Fur Trade, it is easy for history students to forget that the Fur Trade was, in the end,…about making profits. The Fur Trade allowed substantial amounts of money to be made, had regular financial dangers for investors and managers, and real physical dangers for the on-the-ground trappers, hunters, voyageurs. Post employees were ready to accept anyone willing to take the job, the able to do the job, and having the “Savoir Faire” to improve on performing in ways that preserved their lives and enhanced long-term Fur Trade company revenues.

The Fur Trade was ramping up while political upheavals, the Maritime Trade, and the arrival of Protestant Missionaries arrived in the Hawaiian Islands.

Making use of Native Americans as mentors, assistants, protectors and customers, the Fur Trade employed East Coast American Indians, Mexicans, Spaniards, Canadians, Europeans, Americans of all stripes, and, as we will see, the little known and often forgotten people of the Hawaiian Islands as well.

Colorado and the Civil War

Presenter: Mr. John Steinle

Colorado troops were vitally important for the Union in the quest to win the Civil War. They served throughout the American West from Missouri to Utah, and their enemies were not only ordinary Confederate troops but also fearsome guerrillas under William Quantrill and “Blood Bill” Anderson. Vital Western transportation routes—like the Santa Fe, Oregon, Smoky Hill, and Cherokee Trails—were guarded by the Coloradans. Tragically, actions by Colorado soldiers, including the horrific Sand Creek Massacre, ignited decades of warfare with Native American tribes. This presentation features vintage images that chronicle Colorado’s Civil War soldiers, where they served, and who they fought.

Colorado: The Highest State

Presenter: Dr. Tom Noel

Tom “Dr. Colorado” Noel’s new talk, “Colorado: The Highest State” is a lighthearted look at the ups and downs of our state, focusing on a few favorite characters, places and happenings.

A Tribute to Howard Lamar

Presenter: Dr. Jay Gitlin

Howard Lamar was a great historian, an amazing teacher and mentor, and a most wonderful human being. As a historian, he emphasized, on the one hand, the vastness of the West that encouraged big ideas. On the other hand, he reminded us that the West had to be read at the local level. And at that level, our histories must include the experiences and perspectives of all participants. Howard, long before diversity and inclusion became popular, insisted that we see the multicultural past and present of the West. We will look at Howard’s legacy—in the field of Western history and at Yale as well. And because Howard always told stories, I will tell a few of my favorites.  Especially relevant for being at The Fort: Howard’s book: The Trader on the American Frontier: Myth’s Victim.

Kit Carson – Mountain Man

Presenter: Dr. Paul Andrew Hutton

“Kit Carson and the Mountain Men” looks at the history of the Rocky Mountain fur trade and the role Kit Carson played in it. Carson is perhaps the best known of all the Mountain Men, but was he really a leader in the trade?

More Work Than Glory: Buffalo Soldiers in the United States Army, 1866-1916-An Overview

Presenter: Dr. John P. Langellier

Before the 1960s, the term “buffalo soldier” was an obscure one. Then, a trickle of titles became a torrent of books, articles, novels, monuments, and expanding numbers of historic sites along with museums, which changed the image. Even television and motion pictures occasionally took inspiration from these once relatively little-known Black U.S. Army troops, who eventually emerged as familiar figures and took their place in a mythic past.

Despite this significant shift, numerous efforts treating this aspect of the vital, complex story of the post-Civil War U.S. Army frequently repeated earlier studies rather than adding fresh perspectives. Also, the narrative typically ended with the so-called Indian Wars or Spanish American War. Many authors likewise focused on military operations rather than other relevant contributions and activities of these men who played a notable role in the nation’s complicated story during the half century after the American Civil War to WWI.

Historian and author will share highlights from his new book adding to the previously published body of work, explore new insights, and challenge some myths and misconceptions.