Fort Union National Monument facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Fort Union National Monument |
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Fort Union Ruins
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 Fort Union National Monument
Location in New Mexico
Fort Union National Monument
Location in the United States
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| Location | Mora County, New Mexico, U.S. |
| Nearest city | Watrous, New Mexico |
| Area | 720.6 acres (291.6 ha) |
| Established | June 28, 1954 |
| Visitors | 9,570 (in 2023) |
| Governing body | National Park Service |
| Website | Fort Union National Monument |
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Fort Union National Monument
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| Built | 1851 |
| NRHP reference No. | 66000044 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | October 15, 1966 |
Fort Union National Monument is a special place in Mora County, New Mexico. It's managed by the United States National Park Service. This monument protects the remains of three old forts. These forts were built starting in the 1850s.
You can also see old wagon ruts from the famous Santa Fe Trail here. These ruts were made by wagons on the Mountain and Cimarron Branches of the trail.
The monument has a visitor center. Inside, there's a museum about the fort's history. You can also watch a film to learn more. A walking trail lets you explore the ruins of the second and third forts. You can even see where the first fort and its supply depot once stood across the valley.
Fort Union National Monument is open most days from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. It's closed on Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Year's Day. The best part is, admission is free!
Contents
What Fort Union Looked Like
A Visitor's First Impression
In 1857, a trader and writer named William Davis visited Fort Union. He shared his first thoughts about the fort:
Fort Union, a hundred and ten miles from Santa Fé, is situated in the pleasant valley of the Moro. It is an open post, without either stockades or breastworks of any kind, and, barring the officers and soldiers who are seen about, it has much more the appearance of a quiet frontier village than that of a military station. It is laid out with broad and straight streets crossing each other at right angles. The huts are built of pine logs, obtained from the neighboring mountains, and the quarters of both officers and men wore a neat and comfortable appearance.
Davis thought the fort looked more like a peaceful village than a military base. He noted its wide, straight streets and neat log buildings.
The Story of Fort Union
Why the Fort Was Built
After the U.S.-Mexican War ended, the United States gained control of a large area. This included parts of what are now New Mexico, Arizona, and other states. The U.S. Army set up small military posts in towns to protect people and travel routes. However, these small posts didn't work very well. Soldiers faced distractions in towns that made it hard to focus on their duties.
In 1851, Lt. Col. Edwin V. Sumner was told to improve the defense of the area. He decided to move the soldiers away from towns. He also moved his main office and supply center. He chose a spot where two branches of the Santa Fe Trail met. This new location, about 25 miles from Las Vegas, became Fort Union.
The First Fort (1851)
The first Fort Union was started in August 1851. For ten years, it was a key military base in the region. It was also an important stop on the Santa Fe Trail. Travelers could rest there and get supplies from the post's store. The fort also became the main military supply center for the entire Southwest.
During the 1850s, soldiers from the fort, called dragoons, had conflicts with Native American tribes. These tribes were clashing with travelers on the Santa Fe Trail. One early conflict was against the Jicarilla Apaches. In 1854, the Apaches fought a tough battle where many dragoons were lost. The Apaches were eventually pushed into the mountains. Soldiers also had operations against the Utes in 1855. They also fought the Kiowas and Comanches who were raiding the plains in 1860–61.
The Second Fort (1861)
As the American Civil War began, leaders worried about a Confederate invasion of New Mexico. Colonel Edward R.S. Canby was in charge of defending the territory. He gathered troops at Fort Craig and sent soldiers to patrol the Santa Fe Trail. This trail was vital for getting supplies to the Federal forces.
Canby also ordered the building of a second Fort Union. This new fort was shaped like a star and made of earth. It was designed to be stronger against attack. When the Civil War started in April 1861, many regular soldiers left Fort Union. They were sent to fight in the East. Volunteer soldiers took their place at the fort.
The second fort was built to stop a Confederate army coming north from Texas. In 1862, volunteer soldiers from Colorado and New Mexico, along with U.S. Regulars from Fort Union, stopped the Confederates. They fought at Glorieta Pass, near Santa Fe. The Confederates were defeated and went back to Texas. This battle ended the Civil War in the Southwest. It also protected the valuable mines in Colorado from being used by the South. The second Fort Union was soon left empty after this victory.
The Third Fort (1863)
With New Mexico safely under Federal control, a new commander, Brig. Gen. James H. Carleton, started building the third Fort Union in 1863. This large fort took six years to finish. It was the biggest military base in the territory. It included not only a military post but also a separate supply depot. This depot had warehouses, corrals, shops, offices, and living areas.
The supply part of the fort was very important. It employed many more people, mostly civilians, than the military side. An ordnance depot, which stored weapons and ammunition, was also built. It was located where the first fort had been.
Throughout the 1860s and 1870s, troops from Fort Union continued to be involved in operations against Native American tribes. After several intense campaigns against the Apaches, Navajos, Cheyennes, Arapahos, Kiowas, Utes, and Comanches, peace finally came to the southern Plains in 1875.
Fort Union's role in these conflicts ended. However, its soldiers still helped keep peace. They sometimes tracked down criminals, stopped large groups from causing trouble, and settled disagreements. The supply depot kept growing until 1879. That's when the Santa Fe Railroad took over from the Santa Fe Trail as the main way to transport goods. By 1891, the fort was no longer needed and was closed down.
Famous People at Fort Union
Commanders and Soldiers
Fort Union was home to important military units. It was the headquarters for the 8th Cavalry in the early 1870s. Later, it was the headquarters for the 9th Cavalry in the late 1870s during the Apache Wars.
A very famous person, Kit Carson (whose full name was Christopher "Kit" Carson), was a commander at Fort Union. He led the fort from December 24, 1865, to April 24, 1866.
Land Ownership Challenges
A Legal Battle
For its 40 years as a frontier post, Fort Union faced challenges not just on the battlefield but also in court. When the U.S. Army built the fort in 1851, they didn't know they were on private land. This land was part of something called the Mora Grant.
The next year, Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner made the fort even bigger. He claimed an area of eight square miles as a military reservation. In 1868, President Andrew Johnson declared a large area of mountains, the Turkey Mountains, as a timber reservation for the fort. This area was fifty-three square miles.
The owners of the Mora Grant quickly challenged the government. They took their case to court. By the mid-1850s, the case reached Congress. For the next two decades, the government didn't rule in favor of the landowners. But in 1876, a report confirmed that Fort Union was indeed on the Mora Grant.
However, the army didn't want to move or pay the landowners because it would cost too much. The Secretary of War argued that the military had improved the area. He said they shouldn't have to give it up without being paid back. This tactic worked. The army stayed at the fort until it closed in 1891, without paying the landowners any money.
Images for kids
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Map of the historic Santa Fe Trail
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Remainder of buildings along Officer's Row
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Remainder of the fort's hospital
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View of the fort from a distance away
