Fort, The - Morrison, Colorado
Posted by: 
Big B Bob
N 39° 37.737 W 105° 11.591
13S E 483421 N 4386593
Frontier Fast Food in a Fake Fort.
Waymark Code: WM7MWF
Location: Colorado, United States
Date Posted: 11/10/2009
Views: 11
From Roadside America:
Eat real frontier food inside an adobe fort! This restaurant in the red rocks near Morrison was originally built in 1963 as the home of Sam Arnold, who to pay it off decided to open it to everyone as a restaurant and has kept inviting everyone in since. It is a true replica of Bent's Fort, the frontier trading fort along the Santa Fe trail in southeastern Colorado. When the National Park Service sought to build a replica Bent's Fort at the original site they consulted Arnold for tips on how to build it. Inside you will find a restaurant that is truly authentic in frontier decor and cuisine. Among this restaurant's many famous guests were the leaders of the Summit of the Eight in 1997, and not every place you can go to is one where the Clintons ate rattlesnake!
The Fort's designer was a prominent Santa Fe architect, Bill Lumpkins. Arnold's builders used the red earth of its vicinity and straw to make The Fort's 80,000 adobe bricks. They used ox blood to seal the tile floors. You can take a wild guess how the tiles got to be red!
Some favorites from the menu:
Rocky Mountain Oysters
Small bites battered and fried to a golden brown and served with a tangy "cocktail" sauce. $8
Elk Chop St. Vrain
14-ounce bone-in Rocky Mountain elk chop, grilled to perfection with wild Montana huckleberries.
Served with roasted garlic white cheddar mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables. $45
Street address:
The Fort Restaurant
19192 Highway 8
Morrison, Colorado USA
80465
County / Borough / Parish: Jefferson County
Year listed: 2006
Historic (Areas of) Significance: Architecture/Engineering
Periods of significance: 1950-1974
Historic function: Commerce/Trade, Domestic; Restaurant, Single Dwelling
Current function: Commerce/Trade, Education, Recreation And Culture; Restaurant
Privately owned?: yes
Primary Web Site: [Web Link]
Secondary Website 1: [Web Link]
Season start / Season finish: Not listed
Hours of operation: Not listed
Secondary Website 2: Not listed
National Historic Landmark Link: Not listed
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Visit Instructions:
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