Fort Selden 50-th Anniversay Celebration Part 2

Part 1

There was a small museum for the fort, but very nice.  They were selling chunks of the Fort Selden walls up front, which gives you an idea of what condition they're in.  Here's a display with some cute sheep.

They had a couple of uniforms on display.  I question those spiky helmets, especially out in the desert.  General Douglas MacArthur was here as a child when his father was the commander here.   

Here's a small canon.

Outside, the staff had started a cookout with burgers and hot dogs.  (Yes, it was hot out, over 100 degrees.)  There were probably over a 100 people there for the celebration.  My hot dog was excellent.  Dad and Gerald enjoyed their burgers.  There were several displays outside, including this buck wagon.

I was wearing the Fort Union shirt that dad had bought me last year on his trip around the state.  (It's at the northern end of the state.  It's in somewhat better shape than Fort Selden.)  A guy stopped me and told me he'd been there.  He'd served in the Cavalry.  Gerald had as well.      

This is a statue of a Buffalo Solder out on the former parade grounds called, The Sentinel.    

 

Here's a couple of views of the fort ruins.  I was honestly a bit too embarrassed to take better pictures of the site.  It is not in good shape.  The adobe walls were originally 10' tall and 2' thick.  Time and the elements have worn them down to nothing.  Some of the walls were only standing because they're being propped up.  There is a rock-built stockade, but it's in the same shape.

There was a tent set up outside with chairs.  We sat for a couple of speeches that were not about the fort, but rather the Historical Society and their efforts to preserve what's left.  There was a guided tour afterward that dad and Gerald, surprisingly, didn't want to stay for.  (The guide was going to detail the preservation efforts.)  We wandered around the ruins by ourselves for a little bit, before going back into the museum.  They had cake inside, which we enjoyed before leaving.    

The helpful staff at the site were positively giddy.  They were the best parts of the experience.  I liked the museum, but honestly, the ruins probably aren't worth saving in the condition they're in and given what they're made of.  I would recommend taking a trip out there, especially if they're having an event.  Leasburg Dam State Park is right next door.  I'd probably recommend going when it's a bit cooler or bringing plenty of water.  I may have gotten a little heat exhaustion on the trip.