LA JUNTA, Colo.—In the midst of an economic recession, officials at Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site say the park seems to be drawing above-average crowds.
Officials said recently that despite high gasoline prices in 2008, visits to Bent’s Old Fort were up 4.4 percent over the previous year.
“I think due to the economy, along with the high gas prices last year, the park attracted many more visitors from the Front Range of Colorado,” said Rick Wallner, chief of interpretation at the fort. “We saw more visitors from Denver, Colorado Springs and Pueblo, with fewer visitors from the East or West coasts.”
Wallner said that people were staying closer to home and looking for things to do within a few hours drive, instead of taking longer vacations.
“Those Colorado visitors kept our visitation climbing last year, and I hope they will again this year,” Wallner said.
The country’s national parks have been a valuable asset during the recession, drawing thousands of visitors and propping up local economies, according to a study by the National Park Service and Michigan State University.
Visitors to National Park Service sites last year helped support more than 200,000 jobs and spent $11.8 billion in gift shops and nearby businesses such as hotels, restaurants and gas stations, the study said.
Bent’s Old Fort, which sits on the north side of the Arkansas River east of La Junta, was founded in 1833 by fur traders and rebuilt in 1976 as a historic site. It attracts more than 25,000 visitors each year.
According to the study, visitors to the fort in 2007 spent more than $975,000 and supported 18 jobs. The park service payroll spending at the site amounted to more than $850,000 and supported 24 more jobs.
In all, Bent’s Old Fort generated $1.7 million in spending and supported 42 jobs in the community. Wallner said supported jobs are those either created directly by employment at the fort itself (federal workers or contractors working at the fort) or jobs created in the community due to the spending by park visitors and employees over the course of the year.
“That can be from motel or restaurant workers to convenience store clerks to the people at Safeway or Wal-Mart where park employees shop for household goods,” Wallner said.
Wallner said the fort’s budget, which comes from the annual National Park Service Federal appropriation, was a little more than $1 million in fiscal year 2008.
“We also have special-project money that comes in from various sources, including the fees collected at bigger national parks around the country,” Wallner said.
“For instance in the last couple of years we have received $160,000 for fort repair work, $180,000 for an orientation plaza at the visitor parking lot and $35,000 for a hiking trail. These last two projects are still ongoing, with completion scheduled for late spring 2009.”
Wallner said Bent’s Fort officials strive to keep the fee for tours low—$3 for adults, $2 for kids—so the cost doesn’t discourage anyone from visiting.
In 2008, fees brought in about $50,000 to add to the park’s budget, which is about the average over the last few years, Wallner said.
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