Bent County Colorado ~  1870

Lies on both sides of the Arkansas, extending from Pueblo on the west, to the Kansas state line on the east, and from Greenwood on the north, to Las Animas on the south. It is a large county, but sparsely settled, and containing but one or two posts of any importance. It is named after Col. Bent, whose "Old Fort" is still a landmark in this region, and for an account of who's trapping and exploring expeditions, see chapter on Early History.

Las Animas City, opposite Fort Lyon, and near the mouth of the Las Animas or Purgatoire River, is the principal town, and bids fair to become a point of some commercial importance. Boggsville is the county seat of Bent, but is a place of, as yet, but little importance. Except along the immediate valley of the Arkansas, the lands of this county are only adapted for grazing purposes, there being no facilities for irrigation. The population of this county is about 600 or 700.

Rocky Mountain Directory & Colorado Gazetteer

Source: Rocky Mountain Directory and Colorado Gazetteer, 1871, S. S. Wallihan & Company, Compilers and Publishers, Denver, 1870.