Fort Stanton facts for kids
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Fort Stanton
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Adjutant Office in 2009
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| Location | 7 mi. SE of Capitan near U.S. 380 |
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| Nearest city | Capitan, New Mexico |
| Area | 195 acres (79 ha) |
| Built | 1855 |
| Architectural style | Colonial Revival, Mission/Spanish Revival |
| NRHP reference No. | 73001142 (original) 99001679 (increase) |
Quick facts for kids Significant dates |
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| Added to NRHP | April 13, 1973 |
| Boundary increase | January 14, 2000 |
Fort Stanton is a historic place in New Mexico. It started as a United States Army fort in 1855. Over the years, it has been many things. It was a hospital, a detention center, and is now a historic site.
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A Fort for the Army
Fort Stanton was built in 1855. Soldiers from the 1st Dragoon and the 3rd and 8th Infantry Regiments built it. Its main purpose was to protect settlers in the area. It also served as a base for military actions against the Mescalero Apaches. Many battles were fought from this fort until the 1880s.
Famous people like Kit Carson and John Pershing lived here. Even Billy the Kid and Pat Garrett were connected to the fort. The brave Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry also served at Fort Stanton.
During the American Civil War, Confederate forces took over the fort in 1861. The U.S. Army left the fort in 1896.
The fort was first meant to be a reservation for the Mescalero Apache people. But in 1873, their reservation was moved to a new location.
A Special Hospital
In 1899, President William McKinley made a big change. He turned Fort Stanton into America's first federal hospital for tuberculosis. This was a serious lung disease at the time. The hospital was run by the Marine Hospital Service.
During World War II, Fort Stanton had another role. It became a place where some German and Japanese people were held. These were people living in the U.S. who were seen as "enemy aliens" during the war. Many were immigrants. They were held here even if there was little proof against them.
For example, 411 German sailors from a ship called the Columbus were kept here. Later, some German Americans and Japanese Americans were also transferred to Fort Stanton. These groups were kept separate. Some of them were later sent back to their home countries.
The hospital at Fort Stanton closed its doors in 1953.
Fort Stanton Today
In 2008, New Mexico's governor, Bill Richardson, had a new idea for Fort Stanton. He wanted to make it a "living history" place. This means visitors can learn about its past in an interactive way. Funds were set aside to fix up old buildings like the headquarters and officers' quarters.
Protecting Nature and Caves
In 2009, the land around Fort Stanton became very important. The U.S. Congress named it a National Conservation Area (NCA). This area is over 25,000 acres. It protects a special cave called Snowy River Passage. This cave is inside Fort Stanton Cave National Natural Landmark. Snowy River was found in 2001 by cave explorers.
The new NCA is called Fort Stanton – Snowy River Cave. It is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. The NCA has over 90 miles of trails. People can use these trails for horseback riding, mountain biking, and hiking. It also hosts a long annual endurance riding event.
Restoring History
In 2012, a group called the National Speleological Society helped restore a building at the fort. They worked on the second-floor balcony of Building #9.
In 2019, another team from AmeriCorps helped out. They fixed up the Hidalgo Building to be a place for volunteers to stay. They also started restoring the old school house. A historic TB Hut was also restored. Plus, two new exhibits were added to the hospital's display.
See also
- Escape from Fort Stanton
- Ruidoso, New Mexico
- Capitan, New Mexico
- Lincoln National Forest
- Battle of Mesilla (disambiguation)
- Gallinas Massacre
- National Register of Historic Places listings in Lincoln County, New Mexico
