Fort Stanton

Fort Stanton was established on the Bonito River in 1855 to protect settlers and settlements. Named for Captain Henry Stanton who was killed while pursuing Mescalero Apaches, the Fort’s mission changed from its open in 1855 to its closure in 1896. Once the Mescalero Apache Indian Reservation was created in 1873, the fort’s area of responsibility grew to include the distribution of food to the Mescalero people, protection of settlers and Indians from raiding parties on both sides, as well as from marauding bandits.

Violence between settlers also brought military intervention, like during the Lincoln County War when Col. Nathan Dudley occupied the town of Lincoln for a brief period of time. Once the feared Apache Chiefs Geronimo and Victorio surrendered, the military mission waned and evolved, driven by national policy and the growing settlement of the region. In the 20th century, Ft. Stanton became America's first federal tuberculosis hospital and during World War II it served as an internment camp for both German and Japanese POW’s.