Near Watrous in Mora County, New Mexico — The American Mountains (Southwest)
The Road that Changed Lives Forever
— Fort Union National Monument —
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2015
1. The Road that Changed Lives Forever Marker
It started with just a trickle of traders on the Trail, traveling the plains infrequently in the summer months. The tempo of trade and traffic ratcheted up fast. Soon torrents of American teamsters, settlers, ranchers, miners, and soldiers were coming west. They clashed, from time to time, with the peoples who already called these lands their homes.
The United States Army was sent here in 1851 — to keep a lid on a pot that everyone back East expected to boil over. With Fort Union's firepower, food, and materiel firmly fixed in this part of New Mexico, American Indians suddenly faced hard choices: make war, make peace, or make great changes in their cultures.
Some experts estimate that more than 10,000 American Indians once lived where soldiers from Fort Union patrolled. Their traditional way of life on that vast ocean of grass was a life on the move. They followed the great buffalo herds, and camped where scarce water
this page online
Erected by National Park Service, U.S. Department of the Interior.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Forts and Castles • Native Americans • Roads & Vehicles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the Santa Fe Trail series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1851.
Location. 35° 54.528′ N, 105° 0.682′ W. Marker is near Watrous, New Mexico, in Mora County. Marker can be reached from New Mexico Route 161, 7˝ miles north of CanAm Highway (Interstate 25). Marker is located along the park trail at Fort Union National Monument. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 3115 New Mexico Route 161, Watrous NM 87753, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. Privy (about 600 feet away, measured in a direct line); Transportation Corral (about 700 feet away); Hard Work, Strict Discipline, and $13 a Month (about 700 feet away); Crime and Punishment on an Army Post (approx. 0.2 miles away); Life Along Suds Row (approx. 0.2 miles away); Keep the Wagons Rolling (approx. 0.2 miles away); The End of the Road (approx. 0.2 miles away); Fort Union and the Santa Fe Trail (approx. 0.2 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Watrous.
Related markers.
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2015
2. The Road that Changed Lives Forever Marker
Also see . . . A History of Fort Union. Ill-prepared to deal with the tribes either militarily or diplomatically, relations with practically every tribe in the area took a decided downhill turn. The sporadic raiding of New Mexican settlements and herds that had characterized the stormy coexistence of Mexicans and Indians prior to anglo rule swelled to alarming proportions by 1851. Attacks on wagon trains plying the Santa Fe Trail, once considered unusual occurrences, increased as the Southern Plains Tribes grew increasingly resentful. From their new base of operations, troops stationed or marshalled at Fort Union spent much of the 1850s engaged in active and aggressive campaigning against the Comanche, Jicarilla Apache, Navajo, and Ute people. (Submitted on May 1, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Additional keywords. The Road that Changed Lives Forever
Photographed By Cosmos Mariner, May 23, 2015
3. Santa Fe Trail
Credits. This page was last revised on September 29, 2020. It was originally submitted on April 27, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 152 times since then and 7 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3. submitted on May 1, 2020, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
