Fort Sumner, Military fort in Bosque Redondo, New Mexico, US
Fort Sumner is a military installation near the Pecos River in New Mexico, established in 1862 as a federal facility. The site contains several preserved military buildings and structures from that era.
Congress authorized its construction as a response to conflicts with Apache, Kiowa, and Comanche tribes, naming it after General Edwin Vose Sumner. The facility closed in 1869 and later transitioned to private ranching operations.
The site served as a detention center where thousands of Navajo and Mescalero Apache people endured severe hardship from limited supplies and poor living conditions. This period remains central to Native American collective memory and identity.
The remains are accessible and involve pleasant walks across the Bosque Redondo landscape. Bring comfortable shoes and plenty of water, especially during warm months.
The fort's cemetery holds the graves of Wild West outlaw Billy the Kid alongside his companions from that era. This burial ground draws visitors interested in that period of frontier history.
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