13.Santa Clara, New Mexico’s Fort Bayard Historic Site
Location: New Mexico’s Santa Clara
1866 is the year.
*The 2013 proposed renovation cost is $35 million.
Originally built in the 1800s, Forty Bayard served as a security location for settlers throughout the 1800s. During the Wild West era, African-American “Buffalo Soldiers” defended settlers against Native American attacks by manning Fort Bayard. Following that, Fort Bayard was converted into a sanitarium for tuberculosis and then a VA hospital.

Santa Clara, New Mexico’s Fort Bayard Historical Site (@atlasobscura/Pinterest)
It housed German POWs during the 1940s. After serving a variety of purposes over the years, Fort Bayard is currently mostly abandoned; however, part of it is still used as a drug treatment facility and long-term care institution. The only remnants of this vibrant establishment are the landscape and Fort Bayard National Cemetery.
