Bent Tree - Getting Started
by Steve Fuhrmann
The Beginning. Robert Burns (Bob) Moore and
Kenneth H. (Ken) Barber bought the land which is now Bent Tree around 1960. They
bought about 300 acres in three separate parcels from the Higby and Higby
offshoot families and assembled the land in the name of their wholly owned
company, the Northgate Company. Moore and Barber formed Arrowwood Development
Corporation, also wholly owned, in 1984 to develop the land. The name Arrowwood
in Arrowwood Development Corporation was a carry over from the area by that
name, adjacent to Bent Tree on the west, which Moore and Barber earlier
developed. Moore and Barber transferred land parcels from Northgate Company to
Arrowwood Development Corporation at appropriate times to begin development.
Arrowwood Development Corporation was formed specifically to develop Bent Tree;
no other projects are anticipated. Moore and Barber, in their various projects,
generally designate one of themselves to take the lead; Moore is the managing
partner for Bent Tree.
Robert Burns Moore. The
gorgeous view southward from Monument Hill and the wonderful ponderosa pine
trees of the Black Forest area made an impression on Bob Moore in the early
1950s. He and some friends formed a small partnership and developed Colorado
Estates in about 1955 (the Elephant Rock area between Monument and Palmer Lake).
Then came Wakonda Hills (west of Beacon Lite Road north of Monument), Arrowwood
(west of Bent Tree), Canterbury (east of Bent Tree), Shamrock Hills, Eldorado
Acres, Chaparrel Hills, and Pine Cone Acres (all generally in the Black Forest
area). Moore participated in the initial phases of Walden. He then branched out
to the mountains and did several subdivisions in Park, Teller, Custer, and
Douglas counties. Moore then turned to the crowning project of his career, Bent
Tree. He says, "It has been most gratifying to build something and enjoy this
beautiful state of Colorado. The lovely
mountain
views and beautiful trees, and
the mix of views and trees and meadows is absolutely fascinating to me. I want
to make Bent Tree the most outstanding subdivision which I have had a small hand
in." Moore realizes it
takes more than a developer to make a successful
subdivision, "The residents are the ones that make the subdivision--not the
developer, planner, or road builder. Working with the people in Bent Tree and
the Bent Tree Property Owners Association has been
one of the highlights of my
career."
The
Name, Bent Tree. In the 1970s Moore
and Barber were beginning forestry management in Bent Tree. The trees were so
thick and crowded they grew thin and spindly in many places. The weight of snow
in the canopies would bend some trees all the way over to the ground in an arc.
So the name Bent Tree originated to a certain degree from the number.
of bent trees in the area. Now the trees are thinned, healthier, and stronger.
The photo at the right, from nearby Fox Run Park in 2006, illustrates what Moore
described.
The Street Names. Moore has compiled a list of hundreds of potential street
names over years in the business. For Bent Tree he wanted street names that had
qualities of dignity, high end, courtly, and top of the line. For that he turned
to the English section of his name list, which had been compiled from a London
street directory and map. A developer has to submit several alternatives to E1
Paso County for each street to be named. The county, in turn, will choose a name
that is phonetically unique to facilitate emergency responses. So, Bent Tree
street names were chosen by El Paso County from alternatives submitted by Moore
and associates.