Fort Union

About Fort Union

Fort Union National Monument preserves the ruins of the largest 19th-century military installation in the American Southwest. The fort served as a crucial supply depot and military headquarters protecting the Santa Fe Trail from 1851 to 1891, playing a vital role in the Civil War and Indian Wars. Managed by the National Park Service, the monument features extensive adobe ruins, a museum, and interpretive trails that tell the story of westward expansion. The site represents the military frontier period and the complex cultural interactions between Anglo-Americans, Hispanics, and Native Americans.