Fort Sumner (1)

Historical marker location:

US 60/84, Fort Sumner, New Mexico

( east of town on the north side of US 60)

Named for the fort built in 1862 to guard the Bosque Redondo Indian Reservation, the town of Fort Sumner grew out of settlements clustering around the Maxwell family properties. It moved to its present site with the construction of the Belén Cutoff of the Santa Fe Railroad around 1907. Population–1421 Elevation–4028 ft.

During World War II, New Mexico was the site of several top-secret military installations, including the Los Alamos National Laboratory, where the atomic bomb was developed. The laboratory is still one of the largest employers in the state and conducts research in fields such as nuclear energy and national security.