Fort Union

So much of the development of the western United States, for the benefit of Caucasians, depended on the success of Fort Union. (best on black)
Stop here if you are not interested in US history.~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

From Wiki: The first Fort Union was constructed to provide protection for travelers and people living in the vicinity along the Santa Fe Trail from hostile Indigenous Tribes. The first fort was built and was labeled a “frontier fort” which is described as more open campuses, places to house and feed soldiers, rather than a traditional defense structure.[10] In the early days, the Utes and Jicarilla Apaches occupied the area around the fort and were the predominant tribes that kept soldiers constantly employed.[11]

The second Fort Union was the more traditional defense structure out of the three. It was built with the specific purpose of defending against an invasion of Confederate forces. The fort was built in less than a year. After completion in 1862 Fort Union was one of the last lines of defense between Confederate forces in Santa Fe and the extremely valuable mineral resources located in Colorado. Soldiers from Fort Union united with volunteer forces from Colorado to push back the Confederates in the Battle of Glorieta Pass.[12]

The third Fort Union was not unlike the first in the sense that it was a frontier fort and not created for defense, but it was mainly used as a supply base to hold and distribute different types of goods such as ammunition, food, clothing, etc. The third Fort Union is what you can tour today, it is made with native materials such as clay stone, and lumber, adobe brick was used for the walls and was coated in plaster (nps.gov).[13] The fort was abandoned by the military due to the conclusion of the American Indian Wars and the formation of the Santa Fe Railroad.