The Person:
From Wikipedia entry on William Bent:
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"William Wells Bent (May 23, 1809 – May 19, 1869) was primarily known as a trader, and rancher in the American West, with forts in Colorado. He also acted as a mediator among the Cheyenne Nation, other Native American tribes and the expanding United States. With his brothers, Bent established a trade business along the Santa Fe Trail. In the early 1830s Bent built an adobe fort, called Bent's Fort, along the Arkansas River in present-day Colorado. Furs, horses and other goods were traded for food and other household goods by travelers along the Santa Fe trail, fur-trappers, and local Mexican and Native American people. Bent negotiated a peace among the many Plains tribes north and south of the Arkansas River, as well as between the Native American and the United States government.
In 1835 Bent married Owl Woman, the daughter of White Thunder, a Cheyenne chief and medicine man. Together they had four children. Bent was accepted into the Cheyenne tribe and became a sub-chief. In the 1840s, according to the Cheyenne custom for successful men, Bent took Owl Woman's sisters, Yellow Woman and Island, as secondary wives. He had his fifth child with Yellow Woman. After Owl Woman died in 1847, Island cared for her children. Each of the sisters left Bent and, in 1869, he married the young Adaline Harvey, the educated mixed-race daughter of Alexander Harvey, a friend who was a prominent American fur trader in Kansas City. Bent died shortly after their marriage, and Adaline bore their daughter, his sixth child, after his death."
The Place:
From the Wikipedia page for Bent County, Colorado:
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"Bent County is one of the 64 counties of the U.S. state of Colorado. As of the 2010 census, the population was 6,499. The county seat and only incorporated municipality is Las Animas. The county is named in honor of frontier trader William Bent.
As Colorado experienced population growth following the American Civil War, government had to be closer to the people for commerce and justice to be better served in growing communities. Territorial Bent County was created in February 1870, followed by Greenwood County the following month. The June 1, 1870, Federal Census was several months away and there were plans to apply for statehood. On February 2, 1874, Grand County and Elbert County were formed. On February 6, 1874, Greenwood County was dissolved and divided between Bent and Elbert counties. At the time of this annexation, Bent County included a large portion of southeastern Colorado. In 1889, Bent County acquired its current borders when it was partitioned to create Cheyenne, Lincoln, Kiowa, Otero, and Prowers counties."
The Courthouse:
From the National Register page for Bent County Courthouse:
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"The Court House is of red brick with extensive beige colored stone trim (silica sandstone) all of which is original.
The roofing is presently a non-descript light gray asphalt shingle but the original was painted standing-seam metal with rather delicate cast iron railings on the flat portions (now removed). The entire metal cornice (4 sides) has been removed.
The windows are double hung wood in wood frames with stone surround and sills.
The basement walls are rusticated stone (silica sandstone) above grade and rough dressed stone below grade.
Over the years various unfortunate elements have been added to the building including: a large brick vault on the south side; wooden basement entry shelters on the north and west sides; some questionable railings; the ubiquitous window air conditioners; brick in-filling in the southwest corner open tower; metal fire escapes; and miscellaneous wires and hooks.
The style is best described as Victorian Institutional with Romanesque arches and window heads. The main roof is modified mansard with the lesser roofs being mostly hipped."