Fort Lowell

The post carried two names in three years, neither of them local. It opened on November 6, 1866, as Camp Plummer, for Captain Augustus H. Plummer of the 37th Infantry, and on July 13, 1868, became Fort Lowell, for Brigadier General Charles R. Lowell, mortally wounded at Cedar Creek in 1864, the same officer Tucson's fort honors. The garrison left on July 27, 1869. By 1872 the site served as an agency for the Utes and Jicarilla, and lumber from the fort may survive in a barn near Los Ojos.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Fort Lowell Fort Lowell was established in 1866 to protect the Tierra Amarilla area settle- ments from the Southern Utes. Origin- ally named Camp Plummer, this post was garrisoned by a detachment of New Mexico Volunteers, some of whose descendents live in the area. The fort was abandoned in 1869 and its log, or "fuerte" buildings sold to local residents.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad — 12 mi
  A narrow-gauge steam railroad from Chama over 10,015-foot Cumbres Pass to Antonito, kept narrow because nobody ever thought it worth converting.

More markers nearby

• Tierra Amarilla — 0.7 mi
• Tierra Amarilla — 2.8 mi
• Chama — 9.6 mi
• Chama — 13 mi