Excerpted from http://www.nmmonuments.org/inst.php?inst=10
"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."
Not much is left of the old fort, the roof, windows & doors having been removed years ago, the adobe walls are slowly dissolving away. What is there reminds one of the starkness that the soldiers stationed there had to deal with on a daily basis. While the setting is lovely now, I'm sure 150 years ago was a completely different picture.
The Monument has a small museum that outlines daily activities at Fort Selden and other frontier forts; along with personal artifacts that were used on the frontier forts. It is worth a quick stop.
Fort Selden Map
Parade Grounds at Fort Selden
Looking toward the Barracks
Old walls at Fort Selden
Dad showing how thick the walls areat the fort
Fireplace at the old hospital
Looking inside the barracks
Old wall of the fort hospital
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