Fort Selden Fort Selden was a United States Army post , occupying the area in what is now Radium Springs , New Mexico . Established in 1865 for the purpose of protecting westward settlers from Native American raids , the post fell into disrepair after the American Civil War . It was ultimately abandoned in 1891 , due in large part to the decision to expand Fort Bliss and the lack of any expenditures for repair of the facility . History . The area near Las Cruces had developed a population base early on by travelers along El Camino Real de Tierra Adentro , who valued the fertile land along the Rio Grande and were uneasy about moving further north on the Jornada del Muerto . Fort Selden was established in 1865 in an effort to bring peace among the varied inhabitants in the south central region of present day New Mexico . Their primary intent was to protect settlers and travelers in the Mesilla Valley from desperados and Mescalero Apache Indians . Built near the banks of the Rio Grande , the adobe fort housed units of U . S . Army Infantry and Cavalry . The first troops to occupy the fort were companies of the 125th US Colored Infantry Regiment , a group of African - American enlisted soldiers from Kentucky who had been mustered into the Union Army near the close of the American Civil War . Several of the units assigned later , including the 38th Infantry Regiment , 9th US Cavalry and 10th US Cavalry , all composed of black troopers , sometimes referred to as Buffalo Soldiers . As a testament to their bravery , nine Buffalo Soldiers received the Medal of Honor while serving in New Mexico Territory . In 1884 , Captain Arthur MacArthur , Jr . , 13th Infantry , was assigned as post commander . With him was his wife and two young sons , Arthur MacArthur III , age 7 , and Douglas MacArthur , age 4 . In his memoirs , Douglas MacArthur wrote that it was at Fort Selden that he and his brother " learned to ride and shoot , even before we learned to read and write . " The MacArthurs spent two years at Fort Selden before Captain MacArthur was transferred to Fort Wingate . By late 1886 , the frontier had rapidly changed . Geronimo ' s surrender to Brigadier General Nelson A . Miles at Skeleton Canyon in Arizona ended the nation ' s long Indian Wars . As a result , Army commander - in - chief , Lt . General William Tecumseh Sherman , ordered a consolidation of six military posts in southern New Mexico and eastern Arizona . He favored a giant , one - square - mile installation large enough to accommodate six troops of cavalry and six companies of infantry . Sherman further ordered that the permanent post be located near the junction of the Santa Fe Railroad and the Southern Pacific Railroad in southern New Mexico . For a time , Fort Selden was the leading candidate for the site of the new post , but because the railroads had brought spectacular growth to the El Paso , Texas area , Fort Bliss , was selected . By 1890 , criminals and raiding parties were no longer considered a threat as hostilities eventually lessened and the fort was no longer needed . Like many small forts in the American Southwest , the government decommissioned the fort and it was abandoned for the last time in 1891 . On 20 January 1891 , Lt . James Brett , commanding a small caretaker force , filed the final post return , which reported : " All public property from this post having been disposed of , it was abandoned on this date . " Fort Selden Historic Site . For decades , the ruins of Fort Selden were consumed by the ravages of rain , snow and wind . Vandals , souvenir hunters and treasure - seekers added to its demise . In 1963 , the land encompassing Fort Selden was donated to the state by Harry N . Bailey , a longtime resident of the area . In 1970 , the fort was listed on the National Register of Historic Places and in 1974 , the fort was declared a New Mexico State Monument . It is overseen by the New Mexico Historic Sites ( formerly State Monuments ) Division of the New Mexico Department of Cultural Affairs . The present day ruins are available for viewing via an interpretive trail . A visitor center offers exhibits on frontier and military life . Fort Selden Historic Site is located north of Las Cruces , New Mexico , off Exit 19 of Interstate 25 , near Radium Springs , New Mexico .