Bent County
General Overview
Located on the banks of the Arkansas and Purgatoire
Rivers, Bent County was named for William Bent, who
established three trading posts in the area in the
1800s. Today, county businesses trade in products and
services with markets across the country. The towns of
Las Animas, McClave and Hasty feature stores,
restaurants and parks within walking distance of homes
and schools.
 Cultural attractions paying tribute to the
settlement of the region, such as the Boggsville
Historic Site, the Kit Carson Museum and the John
Rawlings Heritage Center, draw tourists to the county.
The county courthouse was recently completed and, on
February 3, 2010, received the Governor’s Award for
Historic Preservation.
Bent County is 1,512 square miles and
is situated approximately 70 miles from Pueblo.
There are 177 miles of highways in the county including
Highways 50, 194 and 101. The Arkansas River
traverses through the entire county from the west to the
east. Along its journey, the river flows into John
Martin Reservoir which is considered one of the premier
destinations in the country for bird watching, with a
record of more than 400 species sighted. It is
also a popular spot for fishing, boating, hiking and
camping. Blue Lake is located on the north end of
the county as well. Yet another water source is the
Purgatoire River.
Demographics
The demographics of Bent County include a total
population of 5,902.There is a 33% Hispanic population
and 16.8% of the families speak a language other than
English. For the population over the age of 25, 77%
have graduated high school and of those, 12% have
obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher. The
homeownership rate for the county is 68%, just above the
state average of 67.3%. This is mainly due to the
affordability of the housing.
Economy
There are two major transportation corridors in the
county, US 50 and CO 101. During 2007, the Colorado
Department of Transportation reported the traffic volume
on Highway 50 through the City of Las Animas is 5,800
daily average and 11.6% are trucks. The Burlington
Northern-Santa Fe railroad runs east and west as well as
south from Las Animas sending approximately 32 trains
per day through the county.
Photo by Tandy Parrish |
The county consists of approximately
88% agriculture land for a total of 1,514 square miles
with approximately 4 people per square mile. Recent
reports show there are approximately 1.8 million bushels
of corn and 472,000 bushels of wheat produced annually.
In addition, there are 49,000 head of cattle. Alfalfa
is other popular crop and goats, swine and honey bees
are among the other agriculture-related products.
The average annual wage for Bent County
is $23,366 with a poverty rate of 28.2%. The labor force
of the county is 2,330 with an employment rate of
approximately 93%.
The largest employers in the county are
Corrections Corp. of America (285), Department of
Corrections-Ft. Lyon (209), Mountain Prairie which is a
swine facility (117) and Bent County Healthcare Center
(115).
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The Twin Buttes Wind Power Project puts
Bent County at the center of the new energy frontier.
Energy produced by the wind farm’s 50 turbines provides
enough electricity to power more than 22,000 homes. The
project has also brought specialized operations, support
and maintenance jobs to the region.
Education
There are three communities in Bent
County: Las Animas, McClave and Hasty. Two school
districts serve the area, RE-1 Las Animas and RE-2
McClave. Las Animas School District reported for the
2009 -2010 school year, there are 55 students attending
preschool, 274 in elementary, 111 in middle school and
154 high school students. The Elementary School was
recently recognized by CDE as having two Title I
Teachers of the Year and is one of the top 2 schools in
the state for full
 implementation of PBS (Positive
Behavior Support). In addition, the District received a
prestigious statewide award from the Legacy Foundation.
The District currently offers classes in Music, P.E.,
Technology, Art, and Woodworking and has a great teacher
to student ratio. The Secondary Schools (6-12) have a
strong emphasis on the core academic courses of math,
reading, writing, science and social studies with
vocational courses providing relevancy to the core
subjects. Currently, the Knowledge Bowl is competing at
the state level. The district is now offering students
new and improved breakfast and lunch menus enhancing the
nutritional value.
The McClave School District is located
in the eastern portion of Bent County. The student
enrollment is 242, and the preschool has actually grown,
the number of students on campus is holding at 270. The
district is working on a $250,000 preschool remodel that
should be complete March 1, 2010. For the second year
in a row, McClave has been named one of the top high
schools in the nation by U.S. News and World Report.
Health Services
Currently, the Valley-Wide Health
Systems medical clinic is undergoing a 1,790 square foot
expansion. Once the expansion is complete, Bent County
will once again have dental services available.
Valley-Wide delivers primary and oral health care
services in rural areas with unmet needs, with a primary
objective to serve uninsured, underinsured, and
low-income populations. Emphasis is placed on assisting
the patient, reducing barriers such as cost, culture,
language, literacy, and transportation that may hinder
use of appropriate health care services. Valley-Wide
has been in existence since 1976, providing services
across the southern part of the state with the addition
of Bent County in 1997.
Bent County HealthCare Center was
originally a small rural hospital built in 1962 and
closed in 1986. The center converted its mission and
remained open to provide nursing home care as Bent
County Memorial Nursing Home. Over time, the mission and
services have evolved to better meet the needs of the
community and the region. The organization has become a
“hub of healthcare services” as reflected in the new
name, Bent County HealthCare Center. The many
client-centered programs serve over 6,000 people each
year which is three times the local city’s population!
These services include skilled nursing, long-term, and
memory care for up to 59 elders a day, an in-house
childcare center for up to 50 children a day ages six
weeks through age twelve, an assisted living complex for
up to 24 elders a day, inpatient and outpatient skilled
rehabilitation speech, occupational, and physical
therapy averaging 50 patients each month a community
fitness center with over 200 members, outpatient
laboratory services with over 20 visits each week, and
adult day services for up to 8 seniors a day. The
HealthCare Center is vital to this rural community. In
addition, we are a licensed training facility for
Certified Nursing Assistants (CNAs) and Emergency
Medical Technicians (EMTs) and a clinical training site
for Licensed Practical Nurses (LPN), Registered Nurses
(RN), and Early Childhood Education students (ECE).
Attractions, Recreations and Events
The county is home to numerous historic
sites including Boggsville Historic Site (the first
non-fortified settlement in Southeastern Colorado), Bent
County Courthouse (received the Governor’s Award for
Historic Preservation during February 2010), John W.
Rawlings Museum, Kit Carson Museum, Old Trail Art
Gallery, Ft. Lyon National Cemetery and the Kit Carson
Chapel. For recreation, the state park at John Martin
Reservoir includes the Visitors’ Centers at the Colorado
State Park and at the U.S. Army Corp. of Engineers, Lake
Hasty and the reservoir itself. There is also Blue Lake
located on the northeast portion of the county. The
Arkansas River corridor is home to three of the six
trail regions which make up The Colorado Birding Trail.
In Bent County is the Plover Trail which offers a wide
diversity of Plovers and over 373 documented species of
birds. There is also the Las Animas Golf Course
consisting of nine challenging holes.
Annual events in the county include
Huck Finn Days Fishing Contest, Santa Fe Trail Day, The
Dam Run, Bent On Birding, Bent County Fair, Hasty Days,
Harvest Show, Craft Show and Parade of Lights.
Nonprofits Serving Bent County
- Bent County Development Foundation
- Art Guild
- Pioneer Historical Society
- Supporters of Colorado Preservation
- Chamber of Commerce
- Bent County Food Endeavor
- Hasty/McClave Fire and Ambulance
- Las Animas Helping Hands
- Las Animas Bent County Fire Protection District
- Southeast Mental Health Services
- Bent County Sheriff
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