Fort Union National Monument

Prairie at Fort Union, Photo Credit: Esteban MuldavinRuins of the Officer's Row at Fort Union, Photo Credit: Heidi SosinskiRuins of the Hospital at Fort Union, NPS Photo

Fort Union was established in 1851 as the guardian of the Santa Fe Trail. During its forty-year history, three different forts were constructed close together. The third Fort Union was the largest in the American Southwest and functioned as a military garrison, territorial arsenal, and military supply depot for the southwest. It is also home to the largest remaining visible network of Santa Fe Trail ruts.



National Park Service
Desert Southwest Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Rocky Mountains Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Colorado Plateau Cooperative Ecosystem Studies Unit
Sonoran Institute
Montana State University