Las Animas, Colorado

A Brief History of Las Animas

Las Animas, the seat of Bent County, grew as a transportation and commercial center on Colorado’s southeastern plains. In summer 1873, the Kansas Pacific Railroad’s Arkansas branch reached the community, creating a busy transfer point for freight bound farther southwest and cattle moving toward eastern markets. Local citizens organized the Bent County Bank in 1875 to serve the expanding economy. The bank moved into the Independent Order of Oddfellows building in 1898. That building now houses the John W. Rawlings Heritage Center and Museum, where banking equipment, business displays and agricultural artifacts connect the city’s commercial history with the surrounding Arkansas Valley.