Location: Fort Stanton, Lincoln Co., NM 88323, 7 miles SE of Capitan on US 380. Marker is adjacent to NM 280, a 2-lane country back road from Lincoln to Alto and Ruidoso. The fort is just off the Billy the Kid Scenic Byway (Hwy 380) on Hwy 220 at the Bonito River. The turnoff to Hwy 220 is 4 miles southeast of Capitan on the Byway or 10 miles west of Lincoln NM. Marker is at the apex of a triangle where a side road connects with NM 280, entering the original Historic Fort Stanton.
Title: Fort Stanton
Text:
“Named for Captain Henry W. Stanton, Fort
Stanton was established May 4, 1855 as a
military fort to protect settlers from Apache
attacks. Operated as a military fortification
until 1896, it played a part in the Civil War,
was the first Tuberculosis Hospital in New
Mexico, was an internment camp for German
seamen during World War II, and is known for
heroes such as Kit Carson, Black Jack Pershing,
Buffalo Soldiers of the 8th and 9th Cavalry,
and the notorious Billy the Kid. The Bureau of Land
Management (BLM) and Fort Stanton oversees
Thousands of acres surround the fort.
National Society Daughters of the American
Colonists. Project of the 2009-2012 Administration
Georgia C. Holder, National President
Lanita Duke, New Mexico State Regent”
Date of Dedication: 19 May 2012
