Fort Seldon
Encyclopedia
Fort Selden was a US Cavalry fort named in honor of Henry R. Selden
, and located in Doña Ana County, 12 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico
. The fort was in operation from 1865 through 1891, and through its years it garrisoned numerous units of the famed Buffalo Soldiers. General Douglas MacArthur lived there as a child, when his father commanded the fort. The fort was initially built to defend and protect settlers against Apache
raids, which were common at the time. Adobe
walls still stand there today, and during summer weekends a "Frontier Days" program is conducted, showing period dress and lifestyles, and 19th century military life demonstrations.
Henry R. Selden
Henry Rogers Selden was an American lawyer and politician. He was Lieutenant Governor of New York from 1857 to 1858. He defended Susan B. Anthony in her 1873 trial for unlawfully voting as a woman.-Life:He was the son of Calvin Selden and Phebe Selden...
, and located in Doña Ana County, 12 miles north of Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, New Mexico
Las Cruces, also known as "The City of the Crosses", is the county seat of Doña Ana County, New Mexico, United States. The population was 97,618 in 2010 according to the 2010 Census, making it the second largest city in the state....
. The fort was in operation from 1865 through 1891, and through its years it garrisoned numerous units of the famed Buffalo Soldiers. General Douglas MacArthur lived there as a child, when his father commanded the fort. The fort was initially built to defend and protect settlers against Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
raids, which were common at the time. Adobe
Adobe
Adobe is a natural building material made from sand, clay, water, and some kind of fibrous or organic material , which the builders shape into bricks using frames and dry in the sun. Adobe buildings are similar to cob and mudbrick buildings. Adobe structures are extremely durable, and account for...
walls still stand there today, and during summer weekends a "Frontier Days" program is conducted, showing period dress and lifestyles, and 19th century military life demonstrations.