[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 150 (2004), Part 9]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 12397]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




    CELEBRATING THE 50TH ANNIVERSARY OF FORT UNION NATIONAL MONUMENT

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                             HON. TOM UDALL

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                         Tuesday, June 15, 2004

  Mr. UDALL of New Mexico. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to recognize the 
upcoming 50th anniversary of the legislation that created Fort Union 
National Monument in my home state of New Mexico. At Fort Union 
National Monument, visitors can learn about life at this frontier 
outpost during the early days of the American settlement of the West. 
As a key stopover point for travelers along the Old Santa Fe Trail, 
Fort Union was witness to countless expeditions, Indian raids, and 
commercial gatherings during its short but storied existence. Today, 
the venerable post is a shadow of its former grandeur, but even in 
ruins, it stands as an impressive memorial to the countless soldiers of 
the frontier army who passed through.
  On June 28, 1954, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed into law 
legislation authorizing the U.S. Department of Interior to acquire the 
site and remaining structures of Fort Union for national monument 
purposes. With strong backing from the New Mexico State Legislature and 
Governor Edwin Mechem, U.S. Representative John Dempsey and U.S. 
Senator Clinton P. Anderson introduced the bills that ultimately 
created the present day Fort Union National Monument. Their foresight 
and hard work all those decades ago are worth remembering today.
  Few places today inspire imagination about the American frontier 
experience as does Fort Union National Monument. Located in the Mora 
Valley in northeastern New Mexico, the 720-acre National Park Service 
domain contains an array of cultural and natural resources. Its 
principal features--the ruts of the Santa Fe Trail, the ruins of the 
Fort Union military post, and the dazzling prairie scenery--daily 
attract travelers from around the world.
  Fort Union was established in 1851 by Lieutenant Colonel Edwin V. 
Sumner as a guardian and protector of the Santa Fe Trail. During its 
forty-year history, three different forts were constructed close 
together. The third and final Fort Union was the largest in the 
American Southwest, and functioned as a military garrison, territorial 
arsenal, and military supply depot for the Southwest.
  As a military post to protect travel and settlement for forty years, 
Fort Union played a key role in shaping the destiny of the Southwest. 
During the first decade of its existence, the fort stood as the 
guardian of the Santa Fe Trail. The fort acted as a federal presence in 
the Territory of New Mexico. The Civil War added to the fort's fame at 
the battle of Glorieta Pass, where Union soldiers stopped the invading 
Southern columns. Historian Robert Utley noted, ``The ruins of Fort 
Union graphically commemorate the achievements of the men who won the 
West.''
  On February 21, 1891, singing ``There's a Land that is Fairer than 
This,'' the Army marched out of Fort Union for good. The post lapsed 
into ruins in the following decades. Roofs collapsed, walls of 
buildings slowly crumbled under the onslaught of the elements, and 
grass grew high on the vast parade ground.
  After World War II, people in New Mexico revived an earlier campaign 
to create the Fort Union National Monument. New Mexicans had learned 
that the previous efforts failed because of the lack of local interest 
in the project. This time local citizens and interest groups decided to 
lead the movement to ultimate success. Fort Union, now in private 
hands, was scheduled to be demolished. With a strong will to save the 
historic site, local citizens took the issue to the Las Vegas-San 
Miguel Chamber of Commerce. On June 20, 1949, board members of the 
Chamber voted to seek aid from the federal government and the State of 
New Mexico to preserve Fort Union for all time. The Chamber's action 
was instrumental in creating the present-day Fort Union National 
Monument. We continue to be grateful for their efforts.
  Mr. Speaker, Fort Union National Monument is open to the public 
throughout the year. Interpretive programs are offered with living 
history talks and demonstrations on summer weekends, giving visitors 
the flavor of life in a frontier fort. The visitor center has displays 
of military equipment and clothing, a bookstore, Santa Fe Trail 
information and films. Using this abandoned military post, the National 
Park Service has established a dialogue between the past and the 
present. The place has been serving society as a museum of the past, a 
classroom of the present, and a model for the future, and it deserves 
the honor of a national treasure.

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