Fort Selden Cemetery

The man the fort was named for never saw it. Colonel Henry R. Selden died of illness on February 2, 1865, before the post was established that spring by General Carleton's order, and he was buried at Fort Union. Like the soldiers once buried in this field, he was later moved to the National Cemetery at Santa Fe. The fort he lent his name to was abandoned on January 20, 1891, and the graves in the potters field beside this one were apparently never moved.

What the plaque says

Official Scenic Historic Marker Fort Selden Cemetery Fort Selden was established nearby in 1865 to help protect the settlements of the Mesilla Valley and travelers along the Jornada del Muerto from Apache raids. The post cemetery was located in this field until the fort was abandoned in 1891. Military personnel were reinterred at the National Cemetery at Santa Fe. A number of unmarked graves in an adjacent potters field apparently still remain.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Mesilla Plaza — 17 mi
  A plaza laid out in 1848 by people who meant to stay in Mexico, American six years later, a stage stop and Civil War headquarters, and scene of a deadly political riot in 1871.

More markers nearby

• Paraje de Robledo — 0.4 mi
• Rio Grandé Bridge at Radium Springs — 0.5 mi
• Jornada del Muerto — 4.4 mi
• Paraje San Diego — 4.4 mi