The Fort restaurant, in Morrison, Colorado, opened for business in February 1963. But the story of how it got there started a few years before.
In 1961, Elizabeth Arnold decided she wanted to raise her children outside the city. As she was reading a book about Bents Fort, she got the idea to make it an "adobe castle". They hired William Lumpkins, a top architect in adobe construction from Santa Fe, and using 80,000 mud and straw bricks, weighing 40 pounds each, the main building evolved. When the budget was surpassed, the idea for using part of the structure for a restaurant was suggested and The Fort restaurant opened for business.
That same year the family adopted a black bear named Sissy. They raised their big furry pet, beloved by tourists, for 19 years until she died of old age.
Now an historic site, you can visit and eat at The Fort located in Morrison, Colorado and/or sign up for a one-hour tour to discover how this adobe building came to be. (Tours can be booked for groups of ten or more.)
The food is, of course, historic as well, starting with Rocky Mountain Oysters, Buffalo Empanadas, Bison Eggs, and an array of Mountain Man boudins (sausages) made from Antelope, Rattlesnake, Rabbit, and buffalo.
Also, a real delicacy, they have roasted Bison Marrow Bones. I'm not sure you'd find this on the menu any place else.
Main courses include buffalo served many styles, as well as beef, antelope, duck, elk, quail---with gluten free and vegetarian selections also available.
The IMM in Vail, Co.
Years ago, I had the joyful opportunity of eating at the fort with the group to which we belonged, The Independent Mountain Men. We came dressed in period costume and had a magical evening, truly a step back in time.
The Fort Restaurant is keeping history alive. They have wonderful cultural events, live music, and murder mystery dinners.
For obvious reasons, my book Trapper's Moon, winner of the Reader's Choice award from Still Moments Magazine, is close to my heart.
Blurb:
As a free trapper, mountain man Kade McCauley is wary of the Hudson Bay Company. Their form of vengeance against those who are not part of the company can be deadly. When he and his partner are attacked, he fights back, only to discover one of his shots struck an innocent. A woman who touches his soul, and he will do anything to keep her safe.
While searching for her Native American tribe, Blind Deer crosses paths with Kade—with near fatal results. Once she is patched up, she decides it is safer to travel with him than alone Their uneasy alliance turns to genuine caring, but Blind Deer's past gets in the way, and she must choose between her new love or her old obligations.
But nothing in life is carved in stone except the mountains, and those formidable peaks have been known to change the course of a man's life or a woman's.
My Mountain Man. .
My Stories:
Western Romance: Break Heart Canyon * Undercover Outlaw * Cowboys, Cattle and Cutthroats * A Cowboy’s Fate*Special Delivery.
Contemporary Romantic Thriller: Fatal Recall
Medieval Romance: The Dragon and The Rose * Iron Heart *Promise Me Christmas.
Victorian Romance: Lady Gallant * Victorian Dream
Fantasy: The Fae Warriors Trilogy: Solace * Bliss * Portence
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