Formed February 11, 1870 (20th county)
Bent County (5,651), Las Animas (2,308)
The red brick Queen Anne courthouse is near the center of Las Animas. It was built in 1889 on a square at Bent Street, 8th, Carson, and 7th streets. United States Highway 50 is Bent Street through the town. Holmberg Brothers were the courthouses designers. The courthouse features a tower with veteran memorials on the grounds. Bent County was established on February 11, 1870 as the 20th county from Greenwood County (no longer in existence.) Las Animas has been the only county seat. In 1889 Bent County gave territory to create Cheyenne, Lincoln, Kiowa, Otero, and Prowers counties. Frontiersman William Bent provided his name to the county. The Spanish name for the Purgatoire River is Rio de las Animas Perdidas en Pergatorio thus the county seat’s name. It is also the source of the name of Las Animas County. The center of the county is 11.7 miles Southeast of Las Animas.
Bent County government consists of a sheriff, assessor, manager, coroner, and treasurer (executive). It has 3 Commissioners (legislative.) Two District Court Judges serve Bent, Crowley, and Otero counties and a Trial Court Judge, clerk, and county attorney serve Bent County (judicial.) The county is in southeast Colorado. The Arkansas River flows through the middle of the county. The county is surrounded clockwise by Kiowa, Prowers, Baca, Las Animas, and Otero counties.
The area of the county is 1541.1 square miles. The county is 31 out of 64 in the state. It ranks 50 out of 64 in population in the state. It has a density of 3.7 persons per square mile making it 48 out of 64 in the state. Bent County has 40.8% of its population in its incorporated areas. United States Highway 50 crosses east to west in the county, Prowers County to Otero County. The county is a tall rectangle with Las Animas in the northwest quarter. Las Animas is the county seat and the only and therefore, the largest city. It is 40.8% of the county population. The county seat is pronounced LAS AN-E-MAS.
Las Animas
