Fort Stanton

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name = Fort Stanton Historic District and Boundary Increase
nrhp_type = hd


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location = 7 mi. SE of Capitan near U.S. 380
nearest_city = Capitan, New Mexico
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added = April 13, 1973; January 14, 2000
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refnum = 73001142; 99001679
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Fort Stanton (built 1855) was a U.S. military fort built in New Mexico in the United States. It was established to protect settlements along the Rio Bonito in the Apache Wars. Kit Carson, John "Black Jack" Pershing, Billy the Kid, and Buffalo Soldiers of the 8th and 9th Cavalry all lived here.

The Mescalero Apache live in the area near the Fort.

Fort Stanton property became America's first federal tuberculosis hospital. In World War II it interned both German and Japanese.

Today, Fort Stanton is a popular site for military reenactments and recreational horse riding. It has over 360 miles of trails and is the venue of an annual endurance riding event that has grown to be 6 days long. Fort Stanton is on BLM land surrounded by the Smokey Bear Ranger District of the Lincoln National Forest.

In 2008, New Mexico governor Bill Richardson announced plans to establish Fort Stanton as a living history venue, Fort Stanton State Monument, and funds to renovate headquarters, officers quarters, and stables. ["Governor Richardson Announces Fort Stanton Renovations" Press Release, May 9 2008 [http://www.governor.state.nm.us/press/2008/may/050908_01.pdf] ]

ee also

*Ruidoso, New Mexico
*Capitan, New Mexico
*Lincoln National Forest

References

External links

* [http://fortstanton.com/history.htm Friends of Fort Stanton historical page]
* [http://www.zianet.com/billythekid/billybyway-revised/fort-stanton-a.html Fort Stanton, Lincoln County New Mexico]
* [http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/amsw/ American Southwest, a National Park Service "Discover Our Shared Heritage" Travel Itinerary]
* [http://www.aerc.org/Photo_Gallery/FS2005/cave/Fort_Stanton_Cave.html AERC.org: Fort Stanton Cave] (slideshow)