Thomas and Rumalda Boggs House
John and Amache Prowers House
The Santa Fe Stage Company at Boggsville Days
Making Adobe Bricks at Boggsville Days, The First Saturday in October
The Race Is On at Boggsville Days
The Ghost of George Wick, Editor of the Bent County Democrat,
Appears at the Voices of the Passed Cemetery Tour
The Boggsville story spans a unique time in the history of the American West – the period between the death of the fur trade on the Santa Fe Trail and the rise of the railroad and modern towns. The first permanent, non-military outpost in southeastern Colorado, Boggsville prospered in a country once thought to be an American desert with only hostile Indians, harsh weather and hardship. In reality, Native American, Hispanic and Anglo people lived in peaceful harmony.
Founded in 1866 near the confluence of the Arkansas and Purgatoire Rivers, Boggsville’s residents pioneered large-scale ranching, farming and irrigation in the Arkansas Valley. From 1866 to 1873, the settlement grew into a center for trade, education and culture for nearby settlers and a school opened in 1871. The Prowers house and surrounding buildings served as the county seat for the territory from 1870-72. The community flourished and many famous westerners passed through, including outlaw William Coe, Buffalo Bill Cody, Charles Goodnight and William Bent (whose ranch was next door to the settlement). The famed Buffalo Soldiers, stationed at nearby Ft. Lyon, visited frequently and Boggsville was the final home of frontier scout Kit Carson.
Today, Boggsville is a certified site on the Santa Fe Trail. It joined the National Register of Historic Places in 1986 and was updated to National Significance status in 2022. The prestigious National Trust for Historic Preservation authenticated its brief but significant history by naming it a National Treasure on November 25, 2014.
The grounds and self-guided trails of the Boggsville Historic Site are open year-round. Guided tours of the restored Boggs and Prowers houses open the last week in April and continue through mid-October. Join us Friday of Memorial Weekend for the Voices of the Passed cemetery tour – take a wagon ride from Boggsville and meet the heroes and scoundrels of our past.
The season closes with our annual Boggsville Days celebration the first weekend of October, when the settlement’s history comes to life. Visitors enjoy wagon rides and historic re-enactors, blacksmithing, trapping and farming demonstrations, gunfights, games, food and fun activities for the whole family!
The Boggsville Historic Site is located at 28120 Colorado Highway 101, Las Animas, CO 81054. Take Highway 101 South from Las Animas and follow the signs.
Summer Hours 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m Tuesday – Saturday. Admission is free.
Camping is allowed on site. Tent camping is $10/night. RV camping
with electrical hookup is $15/night and full hookups are $25/night.
Restrooms and showers are available. Call for reservations.
719-456-1358 • boggsville@gmail.com