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Otero County is located on the Arkansas River. It is called the Crossroads of Southeast Colorado because this is where highways (350, 71, 10, 109, 194 and U.S. Highway 50) meet. There are many cultural activities here, such as Bent's Old Fort National Historic Site and the Koshare Indian Dancers and Museum. Rocky Ford is famous for their sweet, juicy melons.

 In 1833, William Bent, Charles Bent, and Ceran St. Vrain built a trading post along the Santa Fe Trail. Today, the fort is a reconstruction of the frontier post. Pioneers going to Bent's Fort passed through the Timpas Unit of the Comanche National Grasslands. Now, one can hike, camp, and ride horseback through the preserved grasslands. The nearby dinosaur trackways in the Purgatoire Valley are unique and can only be viewed in a Forest Service guided tour.  The Koshare Kiva and Indian Museum in La Junta has an impressive collection of artifacts and Indian-related paintings. The Koshares, in full costume, present reenactments of Indian dances in the Great Kiva.

 The fast-flying dove offers challenges during the annual Colorado Invitational Dove Hunt. Other game include antelope, deer, pheasant, turkey, quail, and rabbit. Rocky Ford State Wildlife Area and Holbrook Lake provide excellent fishing for bass, bluegill, channel catfish, crappie, tiger muskie, rainbow trout, walleye, and hybrid wiper.

 Many special activities such as Arkansas Valley Fiesta Days and Hot Air Ballon Races provide fun in Otero County.