"Our Exhibits
Civil War in the West
This exhibit highlights the Battle of Glorieta Pass—a decisive but little-known Civil War battle that halted the Confederate advance to the Colorado gold regions.
Saving the Fort
Saving the Fort celebrates the history and preservation of this important site and displays the work of the Fort Garland Historical Fair Association.
Buffalo Soldiers West
This exhibit focuses on the opportunities black soldiers found in the military, and the controversies that surrounded them, during the Plains Indian Wars period from 1866 through 1891.
After the Civil War, many black soldiers eagerly responded to the government’s call for troops to help create permanent settlements in the West. Segregated black units were formed and over 10,000 black soldiers moved west to help create a new way of life they hoped their people would be able to share. The 9th cavalry of the U. S. Army was garrisoned at Fort Garland.
The exhibit contains rare historic photographs of the Buffalo Soldiers in combat, on patrol, in the barracks, at work, and at rest. Also on view are fascinating artifacts including everyday items used by the Buffalo Soldiers.
The Four Careers of Kit Carson
This exhibit follows the varied careers of the legendary Kit Carson—commandant of Fort Garland from 1866 to 1867. The exhibit looks beyond the legend and explores the life of the man, his family, and the people who influenced him. Carson ventured throughout the Southwest and West as a scout, government courier, Indian agent, and soldier.
Education
Check out Hands-On History after school programs and day camps
Shopping
Our gift store features an excellent selection of books on Colorado and the West. Tourist information is available daily." (from (
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"The Story of Fort Garland: 1858 - 1883
Western expansion fueled the need for frontier forts. The primary purpose of these forts was to keep the peace between the settlers and the indigenous people.
In 1852 the U.S. government saw the need for a military presence in the San Luis Valley and built Fort Massachusetts, the area’s first stronghold. It soon became clear that the location of Fort Massachusetts was not strategically practical. It was vulnerable to attack from higher ground and it was too far from the settlers it was intended to protect. Brig. Gen. John Garland, then commander of the Ninth Military Dept., issued orders for a new post to be built 6 miles south between the Ute and Sangre de Cristo creeks.
The buildings of the new fort were built of adobe mud bricks and the layout of the fort echoed that of other contemporary military posts in the West. It consisted of a rectangle of single-story buildings featuring a sally port (main entrance) on the south side. The rectangle encompassed a grassy parade ground lined with cottonwoods and a flagpole in the center. As originally constructed, the fort could accommodate seven officers and two companies of one hundred men each.
In 1861 the American Civil War was moving west, two companies of Colorado Volunteers were mustered into federal service at Fort Garland and marched to bolster forces against the Texan Confederates, who were attempting to capture the West. With the defeat of the Texans near Santa Fe at Glorieta Pass in 1862, the West was saved for the Union.
After the Civil War, from 1866 to 1867, Christopher "Kit" Carson commanded the New Mexico Volunteers at Fort Garland. Drawing on his knowledge of American Indian languages and culture, he worked with Chief Ouray and other Ute leaders in negotiating peace between Utes and others in the Valley that lasted more than a decade.
The Ninth Cavalry of the famed Buffalo Soldiers was stationed here between 1876 and 1879 after having served in Texas. In 1876, troops marched to the La Plata region to prevent conflict between the Utes and white prospectors. The following year, they helped remove white settlers from Ute reservation lands.
The peace in Colorado was shattered on Sept 29, 1879, when a band of Utes killed Indian Agent Nathan Meeker and 11 others at the White River Agency in northwest Colorado. The incident raised the specter of all-out war and in anticipation the garrison at Fort Garland expanded to 15 companies, most of which had to live in tents during a brutal snowy winter. Within a year, the Utes were militarily escorted out of their centuries-old central Rockies home and directed to sagebrush reservations in eastern Utah or smaller reservations in southern Colorado.
Fort Garland was in use for 25 years, a long time for a frontier fort. The coming of the railroad and the removal of American Indians marked the end Fort Garland in 1883." (from (
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