[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 108 (Thursday, August 1, 2002)]
[Senate]
[Page S7949]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]

      By Mr. BINGAMAN:
  S. 2880. A bill to designate Fort Bayard Historic District in the 
State of New Mexico as a National Historic Landmark, and for other 
purposes; to the Committee on Energy and Natural Resources
  Mr. BINGAMAN. Mr. President, I introduce legislation to designate 
Fort Bayard in New Mexico as a national historic landmark. I am excited 
to offer this bill because I believe that the history of the fort 
deserves Federal recognition. Fort Bayard is significant not only for 
the role it played as a military post in fostering early settlement in 
the region, but for its role as a nationally important tuberculosis 
sanatorium and hospital. During the 99 years spanning its establishment 
in 1866 through its closing as a Veterans Administration hospital in 
1965, Fort Bayard served as the most prominent evidence of the Federal 
government's role in Southwestern New Mexico. Fort Bayard has recently 
been listed on the National Register of Historic Places in recognition 
of the historical significance of the site.
  From 1866 to 1899, Fort Bayard functioned as an Army post while its 
soldiers, many of them African-American, or Buffalo Soldiers, protected 
settlers working in nearby mining district. These Buffalo Soldiers were 
a mainstay of the Army during the late Apache wars and fought 
heroically in numerous skirmishes. Like many soldiers who served at 
Fort Bayard, some of the Buffalo Soldiers remained in the area 
following their discharge. Lines of headstones noting the names of men 
and their various Buffalo Soldier units remain in the older section of 
what is now the National Cemetery. In 1992, these soldiers were 
recognized for their bravery when a Buffalo Soldier Memorial statue was 
dedicated at the center of the Fort Bayard parade ground. It gradually 
became apparent that the Army's extensive frontier fort system was no 
longer necessary. By 1890, it was clear that the era of the western 
frontier, at least from the Army's perspective, had ended. Fort Bayard 
was scheduled for closure in 1899.
  Even as the last detachment of the 9th U.S. Cavalry prepared to 
depart the discontinued post, new Federal occupants were arriving at 
Fort Bayard. On August 28, 1899, the War Department authorized the 
surgeon-general to establish a general hospital for use as a military 
sanatorium. This would be the first sanatorium dedicated to the 
treatment of officers and enlisted men of the Army suffering form 
pulmonary tuberculosis. At 6,100 ft. and with a dry, sunny climate, the 
fort lay within what proponents of climatological therapy termed the 
``zone of immunity.'' By 1919, the cumulative effect of over 15 years 
of construction and improvement projects was the creation of a small, 
nearly self-sufficient community.
  In 1920, the War Department closed the sanatorium and the United 
States Public Health Service assumed control of the facility. A second 
phase occurred in 1922 when a new agency, the Veterans' Bureau, was 
created within the Treasury Department and charged with operating 
hospitals throughout the country whose clientele were veterans 
requiring medical services. As a result, in the summer of 1922 the 
United States General Hospital at Fort Bayard was transferred to the 
Veterans' Bureau and became known as United States Veterans' Hospital 
No. 55. Its mission of treating those afflicted with tuberculosis, 
however, remained the same.
  By 1965, there was no longer a need for a tuberculosis facility 
located at a high elevation in a dry climate, and the Veterans' 
Administration decided to close the hospital in that year. However, in 
part because of the concerns of the local communities that depended 
upon the hospital, the State of New Mexico assumed responsibility for 
the facility and 484 acres of the former military reservation. Since 
then, the State has used it for geriatric, as well as drug and alcohol 
rehabilitation and orthopedic programs. Because of the extensive 
cemetery dating to the fort and sanatorium eras at Fort Bayard, the 
State of New Mexico transferred 16 acres in 1975 for the creation of 
the Fort Bayard National Cemetery, administered by the Veterans' 
Administration.
  For these and many other reasons, believe it is clear that Fort 
Bayard is historically significant and merits recognition as a national 
historic landmark. Fort Bayard illuminates a rich and complex story 
that is important to the entire nation.
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