Nancy Schaut

Photos by Jim Schaut

Approaching Fort Union from the south is a lesson in botanical diversity.  Driving north from Albuquerque on Interstate 25, the high desert gradually morphs into the pine-studded foothills and adobe buildings that mark the venerable city of Santa Fe , once the southern terminus of the Santa Fe Trail .  Passing the nation’s highest capital city, the interstate climbs quickly through Glorietta Pass , the site of one of the West’s bloodiest battles of the Civil War and on to the high prairie and Fort Union .

After the busy interstate highway, the winding road past farms and ranches is relaxing.  Suddenly the crumbling red walls of the fort rise out of the prairie and are outlined against the wide, brilliantly blue sky.  The fort's location in the midst of the relatively flat grasslands makes the visitor wonder about its vulnerability to attack but you soon realize that the openness allowed a three hundred and sixty degree view of any one who approached.  

The isolation that plagued the soldiers and their families at Fort Union is evident when visiting the monument.  It is still a lonely place.  In the hour it takes to walk through the ruins, the visitor realizes that the fort was more like a small city than a military encampment. Where there was once a busy hospital, a supply depot, barracks, and corrals and even a graveyard, only adobe chimneys remain upright, like ghostly sentinels still on watch, casting their long shadows over the old parade grounds.

Viewing the underground pit where food was stored imparts a new appreciation of refrigeration. The dirt floors in the living quarters, no matter how carefully swept, would have made cleanliness nearly impossible. The slightest breeze across the prairie would redistribute the dirt over the furnishings and the occupants. The ruins of the buildings offer a similarly sobering glimpse of life in the military in the Civil War era. Although a self-guided tour is embellished with recordings purported to be the voices of the inhabitants, the remains of Fort Union speak eloquently and loudly about the harshness of life for those stationed there in the service of their country.

Faint indentations in the grass around the fort appear unremarkable until you read the signs identifying them as part of the Santa Fe Trail and realize that these ruts are well over a hundred years old. The fort was, after all, constructed on the high plain where the Mountain branch and the Cimarron branch of the trail rejoined, about seventy-five miles north of Santa Fe .  Many of the wagon tracks were here before Fort Union was built, and hopefully will be preserved for many more years as a monument to the brave pioneers who headed West to start life anew.

On a busy day in July, at the height of the season, this park may receive ninety visitors. An average day brings seventy-five sightseers, a mere trickle compared to the crowds that flood Yellowstone or the Grand Canyon National Parks .  As a result, park personnel have more time discuss the Fort's history with interested visitors. They are adept at answering the toughest questions devised by the tourists. When a park ranger was asked "Why are some of the fireplaces bricked up and holes cut into the chimneys?” she was able to explain,” When they changed to cast iron stoves instead of open fires for cooking, that is where they put the vent pipe." What a luxury that cookstove must have seemed!

The museum building mimics the original design of the fort, and its adobe walls topped blend unobtrusively into the environment. The park museum offers a quick and painless history lesson for children. The museum is small and not overwhelming to their sometimes-short attention spans. It is full of militaria and many of the everyday items used by the soldiers and their families. These household furnishings leave a lasting impression, and make the visitor quite aware of the hardships of living on this "barren plain" as one of the Army wives called Ft. Union .

The fort is a pleasant eight-mile drive from the interstate (I-25) on a paved road that winds through cattle country. The two-lane road will accommodate even the widest motor home, and there is plenty of parking available. Fort Union , New Mexico is warm and dry most summer afternoons.  Hats and sunscreen are the order of the day. It's easy to sunburn at high elevations, even though the heat doesn't feel extreme thanks to a constant breeze. There are no restaurants on the grounds, so pack a lunch! Picnic tables under the few sparse trees provide a pleasant, relaxing place to eat lunch and the gift shop has plenty of souvenirs, historical novels and maps to please kids and history buffs. A day at Fort Union offers a step back in time without the hustle, bustle and expense of some of the West's more popular historical sites.

(c)2008, Jim and Nancy Schaut