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Boots and Saddles | ||||
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George Bailey of Albuquerque, NM created this image of Old Fort Craig that is an important part of New Mexico's Indian and Civil Wars history. The left slope of the black mesa-seen in background-and the adjacent Rio Grande river plain was the site of the Civil War Battle of Valverde -- 2/21/1862. | ||
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New Mexico today is known as "The Land of Enchantment." The State's other-worldly quality perhaps results from its long history of isolation. The New Mexico Territory, became the states of New Mexico and Arizona, and was part of the northern-most province of New Spain established in 1598. The Spanish population was small, the economy was limited, and the settlements were separated by miles of desert from the major Spanish population centers. The Navajo and Apache resisted incursions into their territory fighting the small farming settlements along the Rio Grande. To the east raids by the Kiowa and Comanche prevented any significant flow of commerce across the plains.
Following the conclusion of the 1848 war with Mexico, the United States Army expanded its presence in the . It subdued Indian tribes, protected settlers, promoted commerce, and confronted and defeated invading Confederate forces during the Civil War. The confrontation between the US Government and citizens and the southwestern Indian Tribes is a complex issue. New MexicoÕs forts can provide important data relating to this conflict.
These forts are worthy of preservation because they inform us about the Civil War and Indian Wars in the West. They played a significant role in commercial, social, and medical history and were commanded by famous individuals. Forts Bayard, Stanton, and Union still retain some architectural integrity. Although the others have been reduced to ruins, they still contain important archeological information. Each fort played a unique role in the settlement of New Mexico and they should be preserved as visual reminders of the past.
Today the Boots & Saddles New Mexico Foundation (BSNMF), an IRC 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, has as it's mission to create and support educational opportunities for the public through the preservation and interpretation of the military history of New Mexico. BSNMF persues it's mission by (a) giving guidance and support to existing local public support organizations and "friends" groups, (b) facilitating the establishment of local public support organizations and "friends" groups for those forts or sites without a "friends" or support group, (c) offering representation overall for forts or battlefields without contiguous communities, (d) pursuing government support for activities related to the mission, and (e) facilitating funding opportunities in support of the mission.
To view an uncluttered view of the background image -- click here.
We invite you to become a member of BSNMF -- to access membership information click here.
This website made possible by a grant from the New Mexico State Dept of Tourism.
To learn about New Mexico's forts and military past -- click on the image links with the fort names inside the New Mexico map above.
