Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)

… was created on this date in 1954, when President Eisenhower signed a bill authorizing the Secretary of the Interior to acquire the site and remaining structures.

Fort Union

Fort Union was established in 1851 by Lieutenant Colonel Edwin V. Sumner as a guardian and protector of the Santa Fe Trail. During it’s forty-year history, three different forts were constructed close together. The third and final Fort Union was the largest in the American Southwest, and functioned as a military garrison, territorial arsenal, and military supply depot for the southwest. Today, visitors use a self-guided tour path to visit the second fort and the large, impressive ruins of the third Fort Union. The largest visible network of Santa Fe Trail ruts can be seen here.

Fort Union National Monument

4 thoughts on “Fort Union National Monument (New Mexico)”

  1. FYI:

    It was 1956 not 1954

    On April 4, 1956, Secretary of the Interior Douglas McKay signed the order to establish the Fort Union National Monument in Mora County, New Mexico. [64] The ruins of Fort Union officially became a national monument.

    History from a fellow NEW Mexican

  2. Thanks, I’m always willing to be corrected, but according to The National Parks: Index 2009-2011, a publication of the National Parks Service:

    Remnants of the Southwest’s largest frontier fort, which played a key role in the Indian Wars and the Confederate defeat at Glorieta Pass, are preserved here. A large network of Santa Fe Trail ruts is still visible on the prairie.
    Established June 28, 1954.

    1. The president signed the law to allow the interior secretary to create the monument in 1954. The interior secretary did not make it so until 1956. I got that straight from the NPS site. Using your links.

      Have been there numerous times which is why I knew about it. I have Lived In NM since 1971. Literally have been in just about every nook and cranny of this fabulous state.

Comments are closed.