Peacock Displaying, Bent's Old Fort Corral Poster

"Peacock Displaying in the Bent's Old Fort Corral, Colorado" by Catherine Sherman. A majestic peacock displays its stunning plumage, fanning out its feathers to showcase the vivid patterns and eye-like spots. It stands on a patch of sandy ground, with a backdrop of a rustic wooden fence under a cloudy sky in a corral in Bent's Old Fort, Colorado. An Old West fort may seem an odd place for peafowl, natives to India, to roam, but the birds seem quite at home. As they should be, because the peacock is an icon in many cultures, the including being designated the national bird of India in 1963. In medieval times, knights in Europe took a "Vow of the Peacock" and decorated their helmets with its plumes. Peacock feathers were buried with Viking warriors. In Buddhist philosophy, the peacock represents wisdom. Many Hindu deities are associated with peafowl (Pavo cristatus). Bent's Old Fort (sometimes called Fort William) is an 1833 fort in Otero County in Colorado. The fort was built as place to trade with Southern Cheyenne and Arapaho Plains Indians and trappers for buffalo robes. From 1833 to 1849, the fort was a stopping point along the Santa Fe Trail. It was the only permanent settlement not under the jurisdiction and control of Native Americans or Mexicans. The Army, explorers, and other travelers stopped at the fort to replenish supplies, such as water and food, and perform needed maintenance to their wagons. The fort was destroyed in 1849, but later reconstructed as an historic site. In 1960, the fort was designated a National Historic Site under the National Park Service and a National Historic Landmark.