Fort Union National Monument
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Fort Union National Monument is 8 miles northwest of Watrous on New
Mexico Highway 161, near the junction of the Cimarron and Mountain routes. Fort
Union was the foremost military post of the Santa Fe Trail from 1851-1891, and
for a time it was the largest American military post in the
Southwest.
Founded primarily to protect the Trail, the original wood
structures had already deteriorated by the Civil War. At that time, a second,
star-shaped, earthen fortification was built. After the Civil War, a third Fort Union was
completed which included a garrison and a traditional post, a regional quarter
master depot and an arsenal on the site of the first fort.
The adobe
ruins of the third fort and extensive Santa Fe Trail ruts comprise the bulk of
the national monument, a National Park Service area that is open to the
public.
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