Historical Marker
Cantonment Burgwin, 1852–1860
Never officially designated a fort, this post was built to protect the Taos valley from Utes and Jicarilla Apaches. It was named for Captain John H. K. Burgwin, who was killed in the Taos uprising of 1847. It was abandoned in 1860 and is now the site of the Fort Burgwin Research Center.
New Mexico was one of the last territories to become a state, gaining statehood in 1912. Before that, it had been part of the Spanish Empire, Mexico, and the United States Territory of New Mexico.