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Fort Craig Historic Site preserves the ruins of a 19th-century fort on the Rio Grande. It’s located near Socorro, New Mexico.
Visiting Fort Craig Historic Site
Fort Craig Historic Site is open daily from dusk to dawn and admission is free. A trail with interpretive panels winds through the ruins. The site is managed by the Bureau of Land Management. Check the official website for more info.
There’s a small visitor center open Thursday through Monday from 8am to 5pm. There are also picnic facilities, restrooms, and drinking water. To be honest, there’s not much to see but the interpretive panels do a good job of understanding life at the fort.
History of Fort Craig
Construction on the fort began in 1853 and it was completed a year later. It was named for Captain Louis S. Craig, an officer in the Mexican–American War murdered by deserters in California in 1852. It replaced Fort Conrad, which was established in 1851 and located nine miles away.
By July 1861, Fort Craig was the largest fort in the Southwest. Over 2,000 soldiers were stationed there, and they played a significant role in ousting the Confederate forces from the region during the Civil War. Among the most famous soldiers stationed there were the New Mexico Volunteers led by Kit Carson (1809-1868). They were sent from Fort Union as reinforcements.
One of the most important battles of the Civil War took place just north of the fort on February 21, 1862. The Battle of Valverde pitted Union forces led by Colonel Edward Canby (1817-1873) against Confederate forces led by Brigadier General Henry Hopkins Sibley (1816-1886). Both sides suffered heavy casualties. Although it was considered a Confederate victory, the Union troops held the fort.
Post Civil War Years
After the Confederate threat was eliminated in the Southwest, the fort became the headquarters for campaigns against raids by the Gila and Mimbres Apaches from 1863 to 1865. Many campaigns were carried out by African-American regiments stationed there between 1867 and 1869. They were called Buffalo Soldiers by the Native Americans.
By the late 1870s, the raids were under control and the importance of the fort declined. It temporarily closed from 1878 to 1880, and was permanently abandoned in 1885.
Preservation
In 1894, the Valverde Land and Irrigation Company purchased the fort at auction as the only bidder. It became listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1970. In 1981, the Oppenheimer family donated the land to the Archaeological Conservancy, who then transferred it to the Bureau of Land Management. It’s now a BLM Special Management Area.
