Bent's Fort Chapter Santa Fe Trail Association
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Bent’s Fort Chapter Santa Fe Trail Association April 2013 Newsletter January Annual Meeting Draws a Full House DON’T Our Bent's Fort Chapter began its 19th Taos. Details of the tours can be found FORGET year with a great meeting at the John in our January newsletter. (You can These W. Rawlings Heritage Center in Las read this newsletter online by going to Future Animas on January 19th. Over 75 www.santafetrail.org, click on Chap- Events ters, the Colorado chapter, and then click on our newspaper link.) One of the highlands of the day came with the presentation of the 2012 Mem- April 13: BFC annual ber of the Year Award which went to clean-up day at Boggsville Pat Palmer, our President. During Pat's May 18: Tour of his- leadership our chapter has grown and toric sites on PCMS prospered and is now the largest chap- (Note: this tour is full) ter along the Santa Fe Trail. Probably it June 8: Tour of his- is also the most active one. toric sites on private ranches between La members and guests shared a catered Junta and Trinidad lunch and then heard Santa Fe Trail July 20: presentation Association President Roger Slusher on the Cherokee Trail give a presentation on James Aull, a prominent mer- chant and trader on Inside this issue… the Santa Fe Trail Annual Meeting during the 1830's. Trail Marking Roger lives in Lex- BFC Vests ington, Missouri, 79th Annual Santa Fe the home of the Trail Day in Las Animas Aull brothers, and Our chapter ended 2012 with 136 paid has done extensive The Civil War in the Ar- memberships. As of April 1, 2013, we kansas Valley research on the have almost 120 renewals plus several Trail and the mer- new members. If you have not renewed Fort Lyon Preservation chants who used it. Update your membership for 2013, please do Following the presentation, members so now so that you can continue to par- Partnership for the Na- tional Trail System News learned of 2013 plans and events. Ac- ticipate in our chapter’s events and re- tivities will include Trail marking days, ceive our newsletters. A membership BFC Meeting Minutes service projects, tours along the Trail form can be found on the last page of SFTA News and related historic sites, presenta- this newsletter. Membership Form tions, and even an overnight trip to 2 Santa Fe Trail Crossing Signs Installed in Otero County Saturday May 16th found members of the BFC along dusty roads in Otero County. Five more Santa Fe Trail crossing signs were added to Work crew digging the first hole sites along county roads Work crew at the end of the day 24, 28, and at a site west of Timpas. Digging the holes and Boggsville Clean Up Day is April 13th planting the signs is just the final stage of long process that in- On Saturday, April 13, starting at 9:00 AM, the Bent's volves the National Fort Chapter of the Santa Fe Trail Association will be Park Service, Santa hosting a cleanup day at Boggsville in anticipation of Fe Trail Association, the site’s opening for the 2013 season. and County Commis- Every spring we help get sioners. Official sign this historic site ready for plans must be ap- the spring and summer proved by the Park tourist season. For Service and local offi- Making sure the posts are level Boggsville, this year’s cials. Then, exact opening coincides with GPS coordinates must be used to be assured that the “Santa Fe Trail Day” in signs are placed exactly where the Trail crossed the Las Animas on Friday land. Charlie Hutton is our chapter’s Trail Marking April 26, 2013. Chairman and he deserves a hand for all the work he Cleaning supplies (i.e. does to get these projects done. window cleaner, paint and brushes, etc.) will be sup- Marking the Trail helps our chapter accomplish its mis- plied. Please bring rakes, brooms, and extra rags, etc. sion of preserving, protecting, and promoting the his- We will be cleaning in and around both the Boggs torical legacy of the Santa Fe Trail. It also helps us House and Prowers House, restrooms, etc. better understand where the Trail ran in our area. Of- BFC President Pat Palmer will be supplying a ham, ten no ruts remain due to farming and ranching opera- bean, and cornbread lunch and a dessert. Individuals tions, dust storms, and erosion. are welcome to bring a salad or dessert. All table ser- We also place stone posts with Santa vice and drinks will be provided. Fe Trail logos along the trail. During Boggsville is one of the most historic sites in our area. the past few years dozens of signs It was home to Thomas Boggs, Kit Carson, John Prow- and posts have been planted in south- ers, and many other well known persons. Helping eastern Colorado. These signs plus maintain this site helps preserves our local history. others placed by the Daughters of the This year we will also be updated concerning recent American Revolu- important plans that will ensure the viability of Boggs- tion and Scenic ville in the future. Byways help visi- Join us on Saturday. It’s always a fun day reconnect- tors to our area ing with folks you may not have seen in months. Catch follow the Trail along the Moun- up on the gossip, do a little work, and limber up those tain Route in Colorado. winter muscles. Questions? Contact Richard Carrillo at (719) 384-8054 or [email protected]. 3 BFC Vests Now Available What’s unique about the See Pat Palmer or Dotti Russell at upcoming events Bent’s Fort Chapter of the to see a sample vest, try them on for size, and place SFTA – our new vests! The your order. new Chapter vests show off Once we reach twenty requests the Chapter will our Chapter logo embroi- place an order for the vests with Big R and then send dered on one side of the vest them to the embroiderer (DO NOT buy your vest di- and the SFTA patch on the rectly from Big R). The price of the completed vest is other side. You can also $45. personalize the vest with A big thank you goes out to Big R of Lamar and JS your name embroidered Graphics of Granada for their help in making the vest above the Chapter logo. project a reality. The Wrangler vests come in If you have any questions or to place a request for a sizes small, medium, large, X-large and XX-large. vest, contact Dotti Russell at [email protected] The completed vest will include an embroidered BFC or call 719-336-2213. Payment will be required at the logo on one side with the SFTA patch on the opposite time the order is placed for the vests with Big R. side. You will also be able to have your name em- broidered over the BFC logo. Las Animas Santa Fe Trail Day: April 26-28, 2013 The oldest Student high school. Saturday and Sunday events include a Council Sponsored gold tournament, a rodeo, fishing derby, art shows, event in the United and a horseshoe pitching contest. States is “Santa Fe For a complete schedule Trail Day” in Las Ani- of events and to get ven- mas. This year the dor booth information, call event marks its 79th (719) 456-0452 anniversary with a weekend packed with activities. The event kicks off at 8:00 am on the 26th in the high school gymnasium with the selection of the Queen. Booths and games also open at 8:00 at the high school and also downtown at 6th and Carson Streets. A parade commences at 12 noon followed by art shows, square dancing, dinners, and a dance at the Save the Date...Bent on Birding May 3-5, 2013 Bent on Birding will return on May 3, 4 & 5. There will be a dinner Friday night May 3 & a Boggsville BBQ Saturday May 4. Birding along petroglyphs on a private ranch will also be an event scheduled on this weekend. For more details, go to http://bentcounty.org/2013/03/bent-on-birding-2/ 4 The Civil War in the Arkansas Valley, Colorado Territory Part VIII: Forts and Military Posts, by Jeff C. Campbell (Fort Lyon has been in the news recently as the a “fort.” Usually the frontier post was a quadrangle of State of Colorado debates what use, if any, this his- barracks, guardhouse, armory, quartermaster, post toric place might have. On Page 7, we have reprinted adjutant & provost marshal, and an “officer’s row” all an article from Colorado Preservation giving more facing inward to a “parade ground” large enough for information about the current issues affecting this assembling several units of infantry, cavalry & artil- site. lery. Good examples are seen today at forts Scott & Jeff Campbell is a historian Riley, KS, Garland, CO, Davis & Bliss, TX, and Lara- who has researched the Civil mie, WY. [Ft. Davis will always be my favorite.] This War and Military Forts and was the fort’s core, in the center of which was a flag- Posts in our area. He has staff or mast, like that of a ship. written 7 previous articles on these subjects and continues the articles here.) Before we go on, I think a few words about forts (United States Army posts), Bent’s New Fort [BNF] and Fort Lyon would be appropriate, since during the Civil War, 1861-65 there was only one on this section of the Santa Fe Trail in Colorado Territory.