Fort Bayard

New Mexico · United States · Castle

The Buffalo Soldiers were first stationed in New Mexico here. The fort later became a tuberculosis hospital, and is a long term care facility now.

Fort Bayard in New Mexico dates from the 1860s and its history is more significant than its reputation.

It was a cavalry post, and it is where the Buffalo Soldiers, the first Black regiments in the United States cavalry, were first stationed in New Mexico. They were sent to the hardest and most dangerous postings in the country and given the worst equipment available, and Fort Bayard was one of them.

After the military left, a medical centre was built and the site ran for decades as a tuberculosis hospital, in an era when the treatment was clean air and time and a great many patients did not leave.

It operates today as a long term care facility and a veterans' home.

The historic buildings and the national cemetery are open. The care facility is not, and the people living in it are patients.

FAQ

Where is Fort Bayard located?

Fort Bayard is in New Mexico, United States.

Image: aspidoscelis / CC CC0 1.0 via flickr