The aim of the 1999 field school was to map Bent’s New Fort; map and test excavate at Fort Wise (early Fort Lyon); map and test excavate a possible site that is thought to be location where William Bent built three cabins that were used for trading while Bent’s New Fort was being built. In 1849, William Bent abandoned his first trading post located on the north bank of the Arkansas River and built in the early 1830s.  He moved to a location “below the bluffs” in the Big Timbers area near present-day Lamar and is purported to have built three log cabins.  The archaeological testing tentatively indicates the presence of a deeply buried cultural deposit, and minimal amounts of scattered bottle glass suggest a ca. 1850s-1860s occupation.  In about 1853, he began to trade from the newly completed fort known as Big Timbers.  He also operated a freighting operation delivering military freight to the newly built forts at Albuquerque, Santa Fe and Taos and in the San Luis Valley (Fort Massachusetts built in 1852).  Nearly all of the goals were accomplished.  

In terms of the overall archaeological survey and testing results, at Bent’s New Fort additional features were included in the overall recording that included rock art, additional features outside the fort parapet consisting of building foundations, tipi rings and the Santa Fe Trail.  At Fort Wise, additional features were also mapped.  Additionally, test excavations in a few selected areas that included the officer’s quarters revealed evidence of military items such as an officer’s button, lead balls, percussion caps, in addition to many items such as fragments of dishes, bottles, cut nails and other items.  At the third location investigated, the proposed Bent Cabin site, evidence of a cultural occupation was found nearly 1 meter (3 feet) below the present ground surface.