Robert Campbell was George Bent’s guardian when George went to St. Louis in 1857 to finish his education after going to school for four years in Westport, present-day Kansas City. George is the son of William Bent who built Bent’s Old Fort. George was born at the fort.
Campbell worked for the American Fur Company and was highly esteemed in St. Louis, (Bent to Hyde 2-26-1906). Campbell furnished goods to traders and he once was a trader among northern Indian tribes, (Bent to Hyde 4-25-1918).
George stayed at the Campbell house, which has been preserved these many years and has been a museum for nearly 80 years. The victorian opulence of the home was meant to impress. The Campbell house became the Campbell House Museum in 1943 and they welcome guests for tours of this historic home. The house includes original furniture, fixtures, paintings and thousands of pages of family documents, according to the website.
In 1861 George enlisted to fight in the Civil War as a Confederate and since he enlisted in Missouri, a border state, he could choose to enlist as either a Confederate or Union soldier.
During the Civil War, George was taken captive by Union forces. His brother Robert was in St. Louis at the time buying goods to take back west and some of George’s friends told him George was captured. Robert contacted Robert Campbell, and Campbell along with General Fremont were able to get George released. George was sent back west, (Bent to Hyde 2-26-1906, Bent to Hyde 4-25-1918). After his return to Colorado, George went to live with the Cheyenne as a Dog Soldier.
To see more information about George Bent’s life as a Cheyenne Dog Soldier, check out our book, We Found the Lost Sand Creek Site through our website, www.thelostsandcreek.com. We have a chapter about George in the book. To read more about our book, check out Our Story on the front page of our website and just scroll down.
Check out the Campbell House Museum below.
