In 1780 European explorer and settler Kasper Mansker built Mansker's Fort in Middle Tennessee. Located along Mansker Creek near a fork of the Cumberland River, the fort was built of logs and protected travelers along the road from Indian attacks. While the original fort burned down in 1781, Mansker and a group of settlers returned in 1783 and built a bigger fort able to accommodate more people. On
e visitor was future president Andrew Jackson, and on one of his visits there he met his wife, Rachel. Mansker's Station still stands today and includes a blacksmith shop, livery stable, living history demonstrations, and a museum each giving visitors a glimpse into the past. And now, generations later, a descendent of those Tennessee frontiersmen has built a second Mansker Station out of logs in Walden, Colorado. Since Indian attacks are a thing of the past, the station caters to weary travelers looking for great food, a glimpse of history, and maybe a beer or two.
