Fort Garland in Costilla County, Colorado — The American Mountains (Southwest)
Fort Garland
State Historical Monument
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
1. Fort Garland Marker
This property was presented to the State Historical Society by the Fort Garland Historical Fair Association, which saved the fort for posterity. Established November 30, 1945, as a memorial to the first Colorado settlers, and the U.S. Army troops who protected them.
This tablet is the property of the State of Colorado
Erected by
The State Historical Society of Colorado
from the William A. Braiden Marker Fund
1949
Erected 1949 by The State Historical Society of Colorado.
Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Charity & Public Work • Forts and Castles • Settlements & Settlers. In addition, it is included in the History Colorado series list. A significant historical date for this entry is November 30, 1945.
Location. 37° 25.446′ N, 105° 25.895′ W. Marker is in Fort Garland, Colorado, in Costilla County. It is on State Highway 159 Ό mile south of State Highway 160, on the right when traveling south. The marker is located at the Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center entrance. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 29477 Colorado Highway 159, Fort Garland CO 81133, United
this page online
Regionally, this marker is in Colorado’s San Juan Mountains and in the San Luis Valley. It is also in the American Mountain West. Globally, it is in North America, the Rocky Mountains, the Western Hemisphere, the Western World, and the Anglosphere. Historically, it finds itself in what was once New Spain and also the Republic of Texas.
Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within 5 miles of this marker, measured as the crow flies: Fort Garland / Buffalo Soldiers (within shouting distance of this marker); Costilla County Veterans Memorial (approx. 0.6 miles away); Welcome to El Valle De San Luis (approx. 3.8 miles away); Peacekeepers of the Frontier (approx. 3.8 miles away); Railroad Steams into El Valle de San Luis (approx. 3.8 miles away); Six Miles of Separation (approx. 3.8 miles away); Trails Through Time (approx. 4½ miles away); The San Luis Southern Railway (approx. 4.8 miles away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Fort Garland.
Another marker is no longer nearby. Fort Garland (was a few steps from this marker but has been permanently removed).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
2. Fort Garland Marker
The marker is mounted at eye-level on this stone pillar in front of the Fort Garland State Historical Monument.
Also see . . .
1. Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center (History Colorado).
Excerpt: Fort Garland was built in 1858, ten years after the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo, during American expansion into the west. Today, visitors can explore life in a nineteenth century military fort by walking the parade grounds and touring five of the original adobe buildings. Learn about the Buffalo Soldiers of the 9th Cavalry who were stationed at the Fort from 1876 to 1879. Discover Colorados role in the Civil War in the West exhibit. Rich in military history, Fort Garland highlights the women and children who brought a bit of home to the fort.(Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)The fort was decommissioned in 1883, and the remaining troops were moved to Fort Lewis. The fort and its land reverted to local landowners, and the property fell into disuse. It passed through several hands until the 1920s, when the last owner announced plans to raze the remaining buildings. Locals in San Luis Valley formed an association to purchase and preserve the fort. In 1945, the site was acquired by the Colorado Historical Society, now History Colorado. By that time all but five of the original twenty-two buildings had either been demolished or deteriorated. The remaining buildings were restored and the newly refurbished site opened as Fort Garland Museum & Cultural Center in 1950.
Today the site includes a large parade grounds surrounded by several restored adobe buildings which contain reconstructed 19th-century army quarters, several exhibits, and a large gift shop which features locally-crafted goods and an excellent selection of books on Colorado and the West.
2. Fort Garland: Preservation and Restoration (Colorado Encyclopedia).
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
3. Fort Garland Marker
The marker is mounted on the left/south pillar at the Fort Garland State Historical Monument entrance. The right/north pillar previously featured a different marker, also named "Fort Garland", which has been removed.
Excerpt: The prospect of demolition and sale spurred locals in Costilla and Conejos Counties to form the Fort Garland Historical Fair Association in May 1928. The purpose of the association was to preserve what remained of the fort, with the idea that the site might serve as a county fairground in the future. The association tried to get support from the Colorado Historical Society (now History Colorado) and the National Park Service to purchase the site but failed to generate sufficient interest. Undeterred, the association went around the San Luis Valley selling $5 shares to ranchers, farmers, and businesspeople. This fundraising effort enabled the association to buy Fort Garland in 1929. Just then, however, the Great Depression hit, and the association struggled simply to pay taxes on the property throughout the 1930s and early 1940s. In 1945 the Colorado Historical Society acquired the site. The five remaining buildings were restored, with new roofs, adobe bricks, and interior fittings, and the restored Fort Garland opened as a museum in 1950.(Submitted on August 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.)
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
4. Fort Garland Museum / Fort Garland State Historical Monument entrance
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 2025
5. Fort Garland Museum / Fort Garland State Historical Monument
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 11, 2025
6. Fort Garland Museum / Fort Garland State Historical Monument
Photographed by Cosmos Mariner, July 12, 2025
7. Fort Garland Parade Grounds Fort Garland State Historical Monument
Credits. This page was last revised on August 10, 2025. It was originally submitted on August 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida. This page has been viewed 112 times since then and 22 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. submitted on August 10, 2025, by Cosmos Mariner of Cape Canaveral, Florida.
