Back to original page Printer Friendly Version of REDTT's: Old Forts, State and National Monuments The West was wild when "civilization" decided to make it home. Forts were needed for protection and strength! Today you can vist the "old west" and experience a little bit about the life of that time. Many of the forts and monuments offer a wide variety of tours and programs for families and children. Contact each one to find out about their annual activities and events. FORTS The following forts are still standing today, in whole or in part, and offer a variety of museum exhibits, reenactments, "days of old" experiences, festivals and other activities. Not all of these old forts have links or contact information. It is suggested to contact the local visitor center of the town to find out more. But for now, step back in time and check out the links that could be found. Note: Fort Selden and Fort Sumner also are N.M. State Monuments. Fort Barclay (1848) - Was a civilian trading post on the Santa Fe Trail near Las Vegas, NM Fort Bascom (1863) - Near Tucumcari, NM Fort Bayard (1866) - Once a fort, then a military sanitarium, now a Veterans Hospital. Located near Silver City in Central, NM Fort Burgwin (1851) - Built to protect the wagon road between Santa Fe and Taos. Rebuilt fort and museum. The link is to the SMU program that is held at Fort Burgwin. Click to find out about the forts history and how you can be involved in seasonal classes hosted by SMU. Located 6 miles S of Ranchos de Taos, NM (505) 758-8322 Fort Craig (1854) - National historic site built to protect the El Paso - Santa Fe road from the Apaches & Navajo. Located near San Marcial, NM Fort Cummings (1863) - Built for protection from the Apaches & to protect the Butterfield Trail and the road to California. Located near Deming, NM Fort Fillmore (1851) - Built for protection from the Apaches and was a stop on the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. Only fort to be commanded by a women for a brief time. Located 6 miles south of Mesilla, NM Fort Marcy (1846) - 1st American fort built on New Mexico soil! This adobe fort was occupied and abandoned several times. Ruins include the officers quarters. Hotel suites available. Santa Fe, NM (800) 777-2489 Fort McClane - near Hurley, NM Fort McRae (unknown dates) - Located on the northeast section of Elephant Butte Lake in Elephant Butte, NM Fort Meigs (unknown dates) - San Patricio, NM Fort Selden State Monument - Fort Selden was established in 1865 in an effort to bring peace to the south central region of present day New Mexico. Built on the banks of the Rio Grande, this adobe fort housed units of the U.S. Infantry and Cavalry. Their intent was to protect settlers and travelers in the Mesilla Valley from desperados and Apache Indians. Several of the units stationed at the fort were black troopers, referred to as Buffalo Soldiers. A young Douglas Mac Arthur called the fort home while his father was post commander in the late 1880s. Very nice museum, ruins, historical programs, Annual "Fort Selden Days" and "olde timey" craft programs year round. Open Wednesday - Monday 8:30am - 5pm. Closed Tuesday. Located 13 miles north of Las Cruces in Radium Springs, NM (505) 526-8911 Fort Stanton (1855) - Originally adobe, the buildings were replaced with stone. Many of the buildings still stand and serve, today, as a state sanitarium. Near Capitan, NM Fort Sumner State Monument - From 1863-1868, more than 9,000 Navajo and Mescalero Apache people were held captive at Fort Sumner and the surrounding Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation. Most of the 400 Mescalero Apaches eluded their military guards and abandoned the reservation in 1865. For the Navajos, another three years and approximately 3,000 Navajos had died before the United States government acknowledged Navajo sovereignty in the historic Treaty of 1868 on June 1st. Also, Billy the Kid was killed here by Sheriff Pat Garrett in July 14, 1881. His gravesite can be seen today. Open Wednesday through Monday 8:30 am - 5 pm. Closed Tuesday. Fort Sumner, NM (505) 355-2573 Billy the Kid Museum (He slept there too!) Billy the Kid Scenic Byway Fort Thorne (1853) - Confederate use. Near Salem, NM Fort Union (1851) - Adobe ruins of a U.S. military outpost that provided protection for travelers along the western end of the Santa Fe Trail. Interpretive trail and visitor center with exhibits, history talks, demonstrations and more. Also a National Monument. Watrous,NM (505) 425-8025 Fort West (1863-1864) - Established February 23, 1863 to protect the Piños Altos mining district from the Apache Indians. Located on the east side of the Gila River in the Piños Altos Mountains, just north of Silver City, NM. Established by Captain William McCleave, 1st California Cavalry, by order of Brigadier General James H. Carleton. Abandoned January 8, 1864. Thanks to Colonial R. N. Smith, 2nd reg. US Cavalry, for this information. Fort Wingate (1862) - A U.S. military reservation. Located ten miles east of Gallup, NM, near the Navajo Nation   STATE MONUMENTS Where would you go if you could travel back in time? New Mexico boasts six state monuments that are located at culturally significant locations throughout the state. From prehistoric pueblos, to settlements of the Spanish colonizers, to military sites created for the taming of the wild west, New Mexico's history is very diverse. Below find a brief description of the state monuments, but visit the New Mexico State Monuments Web site for more detailed information, at www.nmmonuments.org. Coronado State Monument - The history and beauty of this monument can be experienced 10 miles north of Albuquerque in Bernalillo, NM. The Tiwa Pueblo of Kuaua once stood here on the banks of the Rio Grande. Nearby, the Coronado expedition camped in 1540. Visitor center, prehistoric and historic Indian and Spanish colonial artifacts, hands on learning. Found on the Camino Real Historic Trail off of the Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway. Interstate-25, exit 242, and travel 1 mile west. Open Wednesday through Monday 8:30am - 4:30pm. Closed Tuesday. Bernalillo, NM (505) 867-5351 El Camino Real International Heritage Center - The 6th and newest monument in New Mexico, the heritage center tells the story of the first European settlements of North America and the road that made it possible through exhibitions, trails and programs. For centuries, the international trail of commerce linked the nations of Spain, Mexico and the United States. El Camino Real (the Royal Road) remains a commercial corridor today as I-25 parallels the federally designated El Camino Real National Scenic Byway and El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro National Historic Trail. Open Thursday through Sunday, 9am-4:30pm. Interstate 25, Exit 115. South of Socorro, NM (505) 854-3600 Fort Selden State Monument - Fort Selden was established in 1865 in an effort to bring peace to the south central region of present day New Mexico. Built on the banks of the Rio Grande, this adobe fort housed units of the U.S. Infantry and Cavalry. Their intent was to protect settlers and travelers in the Mesilla Valley from desperados and Apache Indians. Several of the units stationed at the fort were black troopers, referred to as Buffalo Soldiers. A young Douglas Mac Arthur called the fort home while his father was post commander in the late 1880s. Very nice museum, ruins, historical programs, Annual "Fort Selden Days" and "olde timey" craft programs year round. Open Wednesday - Monday 8:30am - 5pm. Closed Tuesday. Located 13 miles north of Las Cruces in Radium Springs, NM (505) 526-8911 Fort Sumner State Monument - From 1863-1868, more than 9,000 Navajo and Mescalero Apache people were held captive at Fort Sumner and the surrounding Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation. Most of the 400 Mescalero Apaches eluded their military guards and abandoned the reservation in 1865. For the Navajos, another three years and approximately 3,000 Navajos had died before the United States government acknowledged Navajo sovereignty in the historic Treaty of 1868 on June 1st. Also, Billy the Kid was killed here by Sheriff Pat Garrett in July 14, 1881. His gravesite can be seen today. Open Wednesday through Monday 8:30 am - 5 pm. Closed Tuesday. Fort Sumner, NM (505) 355-2573 Billy the Kid Museum (He slept there too!) Billy the Kid Scenic Byway Jemez State Monument - Approximately 700 years ago, ancestors of the present day people of Jémez (Walatowa) Pueblo, constructed a large pueblo in the narrow San Diego Canyon and called it "Giusewa," a Towa word that refers to the many hot springs found nearby. The ruins are among the most impressive in the Southwest. A 1,400 foot interpretive trail winds through the 7 acre site. The visitor center contains exhibits interpreting historic events from the perspective of the Jemez people. Located 43 miles north of Bernalillo on NM Highway 4 in the town of Jemez Springs. Open Wednesday - Monday 8:30am - 5pm. Closed Tuesday. (505) 829-3530 Some web sites about the Jemez area: Jemez Springs, NM Jemez Mountain Trail National Scenic Byway Lincoln State Monument - Lincoln is a town frozen in time, once called "the most dangerous street in America." Lincoln State Monument, a National Historic Landmark, preserves eleven historic adobe and stone buildings as they were during one of the most violent periods in New Mexico history. Walk in the footsteps of Sheriff Pat Garrett, Billy the Kid, and other infamous characters involved in the Lincoln County War, 1878-1881. In August, Billy the Kid rides again - and escapes (again!) from the courthouse as the citizens of Lincoln reenact this historical event at "Old Lincoln Days." Open daily 8:30am - 4:30pm. Located just 12 miles east of Capitan on US Hwy 380 in Lincoln, NM (505) 653-4372 Some other Web sites about the Lincoln area: REDTT's own Outlaws, Gunfighters & Cowboy site Billy the Kid National Scenic Byway Billy the Kid Outlaw Gang   NATIONAL PARKS AND MONUMENTS New Mexico has some beautiful and historic National Parks & Monuments. Below find a brief description, but visit the National Park Service Web site for more detailed information, or call them in Santa Fe, New Mexico, at (505) 988-6011. Aztec Ruins National Monument - Large, multi-story archeological site dating from the early 1100's. Reconstructed Great Kiva. Self-guiding trail & museum. Near Aztec, NM via NM550 (505) 344-6174. City of Aztec information Web site Bandelier National Monument - Guided and self-guided tours of prehistoric ruins and cliff dwellings dated from early 1100s!. Campfire programs, night walks, educational outreach programs, 2000-volume library, picnic & camping! Located in Frijoles Canyon, 45 miles NW of Santa Fe. OR on NM4, 12 miles SW of Los Alamos (505) 672-3861 Capulin Volcano National Monument - 1,ooo-foot high volcanic cinder cone formed 65,000 years ago!! Trails around and into the crater. Visitor center. Located 30 miles east of Raton, 3 miles N of Capulin on NM Hwy 325 (505) 278-2201 Carlsbad Caverns National Park - One of the world's great cave systems. Coined the 8th wonder of the world! Looking for something different and exciting to do? The web sites below have many links about guided and self-guided tours in the many caves of the Carlsbad, NM (505) 785-2232 Carlsbad Chamber of Commerce site Check out these guided tours for the more adventurous type!! King Palace Guided Tours Slaughter Canyon Cave Left Hand Tunnel Lower Cave Spider Cave Hall of the White Giant Chaco Culture National Historical Park - 13 major archeological sites representing the highest point of Pueblo pre-Columbian civilization. Founded in 1907. Located in San Juan County, in NW New Mexico, between Gallup and Farmington. Open daily 8-5pm (505) 786-7014 Chaco Canyon Photos Questions and answers about Chaco Canyon history El Malpais National Monument - Lava flows, lava tubes, ice caves, sandstone bluffs, Ventana Arch and various archeological sites! Located near Grants, NM (505) 783-4774 AmericanSouthWest.Net Discover Grants - Cibola County Chamber of Commerce. Information about El Malpais and local vacation information. El Morro National Monument - Hundreds of petroglyphs, names and messages carved into the base of Inscription Rock document the ancient Puebloans, Spanish explorers, U.S. Army officers and American immigrants moving West. Visitor Center. Located near Ramah, NM, 40 miles west of Grants, NM (505) 783-4226 Fort Union National Monument - Adobe ruins of a U.S. military outpost that provided protection for travelers along the western end of the Santa Fe Trail. Interpretive trail and visitor center with exhibits, history talks, demonstrations and more. Also listed in forts section. Watrous,NM (505) 425-8025 Gila Cliff Dwelling National Monument - Remains of dwellings built into natural caves by the Mogollon people between 1270 and 1280 AD. Camping nearby. Located 44 miles north of Silver City on NM15 OR 66 miles north on US Highway 180 (505) 536-9461 or 9344 "On-Route" magazine article Guadalupe Mountains National Park - Actually located in SW Texas, it contains portions of the world's most extensive and significant Permian limestone fossil reef, tremendous earth fault, lofty peaks, unique flora and fauna! Located 55 miles SW of Carlsbad, NM via US Highway 62/180 (915) 828-3251 Visitor Center Pecos National Historical Park - Pecos National Historical Park contains the ruins of the ancient 15th-century Pueblo of Pecos, the remains of two Spanish missions built in the 17th and 18th centuries, and numerous archaeological sites in a landmark area on the Santa Fe Trail. Two units preserve the sites of the Civil War Battle of Glorieta Pass. Located 2 miles south of Pecos, NM on NM63 (505) 757-6032 Petroglyph National Monument - More than 15,000 prehistoric and historic Native American and Hispanic petroglyphs stretch across 17 miles, along Albuquerque's West Mesa escarpment. Trails and visitor center. Located just west of Albuquerque, NM (505) 899-0205 Desert USA site The Collectors Guide to NM Art site Salinas Pueblo Missions National Monument - Three associated Pueblo / Spanish Colonial sites with extensive ruins at Abo, Qyuarai and Gran Quivira. Self-guiding trails and visitor centers. Located near Mountainair, NM (505) 847-2585 Visitor Center Library and Photo Gallery - beautiful pictures!! White Sands National Monument - Great wave-like dunes of gypsum sand have engulfed 275 square miles of desert and have created the world's largest gypsum dune field. Hiking trails & visitor center. Lots of events all year long. See "events schedule" below. Located just west of Alamogordo, NM (505) 479-6124 or 679-2599 Special Events Schedule: Full Moon Programs, Lake Lucero Tour, Astronomy Programs, White Sands Star Party, Moonlight Bicycle Tours White Sands National Monument Home Page   RELATED WEB SITES Native American Pueblos of New Mexico - another page on this Web site about the pueblos in New Mexico. National Park Service - the main home page for all National Parks. Or call them in Santa Fe, New Mexico at (505) 988-6011. For the Public Affairs office call (505) 988-6014 New Mexico's Cultural Treasures - A comprehensive database of New Mexico's Museums, Parks, and Monuments. Photos, major collections and up-to-date calendars. Search by region, collection dates, type of institution, affiliation, or name. New Mexico Public Lands Information Center - Information about National Parks and Monuments, wildlife refuges, Bureau of Land Management land, State Parks, State Lands, game and fish lands. Plus: maps, books, guidebooks and licenses (505) 345-9489 in Albuquerque, (505) 438-PLIC in Santa Fe, (505) 627-0210 in Roswell, NM. Back to original page