KC Counts talks with Dr. Oliver Horn, regional manager for Fort Stanton and Lincoln Historic Sites, about Fort Stanton's history and firefighting efforts to save the site this Spring when the Camp Fire broke out over Memorial Day weekend. Here is part 1 of their 2-part interview:
KC:
So let's begin by just telling us a little bit about the Fort Stanton historic site; a nutshell of its history.
Dr. Horn:
That's hard to do in a nutshell. It's arguably the most significant historic site in New Mexico post 1848. So, post US annexation of New Mexico and I say that because there's really no other site that has the layers that it has. It was established in 1855. And it was established to compel the Mescalero Apache onto a surrounding reservation. It was at the center of the original 12 by 12 square mile reservation of the Mescalero Apache Tribe. And so the site is deeply connected with their story and history; and the site was contested during the Civil War. Both Union and Confederate troops occupied it, and then when they fled, they burned it. It was also the site of a lesser known, but very important conflict between the Mescalero Apache and Confederate troops, because after the Union forces fled the fort at the outbreak of the Civil War, Confederate troops came and occupied the fort and the Mescalero Apache, who lost all of their government rations with the retreat of Union troops, had to reestablish their own hunting range, and that brought them into conflict with the Confederate troops. And they started ambushing Confederate patrols. And then there was actually a small battle in what became the town of Lincoln during this, which led to the Confederate troops packing their bags and fleeing, and essentially this led to a conflict between the Mescalero and the Confederate troops in southern New Mexico that actually shaped the invasion of northern New Mexico in 1862. So the union victory at the Battle of Glorieta Pass was in part due to the Mescalero Apache waging their own conflict. So you know, it was also during the Civil war, after the Battle of Glorieta Pass, Kit Carson and the New Mexico Volunteers went and reoccupied the sites. And that was part of this brutal campaign against the Mescalero Apache, where, you know, it's complicated, but essentially, they were among the group of units, which included the New Mexico Volunteers, who were tasked with basically exterminating the tribe and the troops under Kit Carson at Fort Stanton actually, more or less, defied orders and made the fort a place of sanctuary, where they provided the tribe protection that allowed them to negotiate with the US government. After that, during the 1870s and early 1880s, it was actually the biggest Garrison of the 9th Cavalry in New Mexico, known as the Buffalo Soldiers. And the units that were stationed there, a number of the soldiers had their wives and children, so it was also a black community during this period. These troops were engaged in both the Lincoln County Wars and also the campaign against a dissident band of Apaches. So both of those conflicts broke out more or less between 1878 and 1881. And what else do I have to tell you?
KC:
Well, let's stop there for now, because that gives folks who maybe haven't heard about Fort Stanton just a little slice of why it's such a significant site in southern New Mexico and probably not the first time - obviously, you told a little story about the history of intentional fire at Fort Stanton, but it has been subject to the dangers of wildfire moving through, and earlier this Spring, when the Camp Fire started up, tell us a little bit about what that scenario looked like for Fort Stanton.
Dr. Horn:
Sure. So, well, big picture is that the site was burned twice during the Civil War. So it has suffered catastrophic fire damage in the past. And the landscape has changed a lot over the past 170 years. The Fort was initially established in a grassland that has now been colonized by pinon junipers. So the landscape has shifted and there's a variety of reasons for that, but the area is now much more fire prone than it was 170 years ago. And so the Department of Cultural Affairs, a lot of our preservation work has been rooted in doing fire mitigation work. We're slowly replacing the wood shake roofs with synthetic shake roofs that are fire resistant. You know, we're removing hazardous fuel loads and doing all these things to protect the site. I knew we needed more time to do this work. We needed, you know, a year or two before the site was, in my estimation, fairly secure from the threat of wildfires. We did not have that time.
You can listen to part 2 of this interview here:
Saturday, July 11, the Fort Stanton Historic Site is hosting Living History Day. Here are the details:
What: Come and take a walking tour of the old Fort Stanton cemetery at 11:00 a.m. with Interpretive Ranger Javier who will talk about the history of cemeteries and some of the history of the local citizens buried there from the 1850s to the 1970s. Hats, water bottles, and hiking sticks are encouraged for the 1-mile round trip. At 1:00 p.m., Mary Lavin, Manager of the Smokey Bear Historical Park in Capitan, New Mexico, will discuss how fire has historically been a part of southwest forest ecosystems and how many species, like ponderosa pine, are adapted to frequent, low-moderate intensity wildfires. Overstocked forests coupled with a hundred years of fire exclusion have changed the landscape and its relationship with fire, however. Prolonged periods of drought and warmer, drier climates have made forests more susceptible to drought stress and insect and disease infestation. These factors combined with a buildup of hazardous fuels and overstocked forests have created an increased risk of catastrophic wildfires.
Who: Fort Stanton Historic Site
When: Saturday, July 12, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Where: Fort Stanton Historic Site, 104 Kit Carson Road, Fort Stanton, NM 88323
Why: Living History Day offers an educational and fun way to explore the site’s history through tours and lectures. Admission to the site and activities is $7 for adults. Admission is free to children 16 and younger, NM disabled veterans, NM foster families, Fort Stanton, Inc. members, and MNMF members.
