Fort Bayard, established in 1865 to protect the miners and settlers
moving into the area following the Civil War, allowed the orderly
development of what was to become New Mexico’s most important
mineral-producing area. Named for Capt. George D. Bayard who was wounded
repeatedly during Indian forays and who died of wounds received in the
Battle of Fredricksburg (Va.) during the Civil War, the fort was located
about five miles southeast of Pinos Altos and about midway between the
mining towns of Pinos Altos and Santa Rita. The site is about nine miles
east of present-day Silver City, just north of State Highway 90.
The original fort consisted of log and adobe buildings forming a square
around the parade ground. During its thirty-four year history as an army
post, many changes and additions were made to the fort, including the
building of two-storied officers’ quarters. In 1899, the line troops
were removed and the fort was officially designated as a U.S. Army
General Hospital to treat tubercular soldiers. In 1920, the hospital was
turned over to the Public Health Department; in 1922, to the U.S.
Veterans Administration; and again, in 1966, to the State Health
Department as a facility for the care of the aged and of tuberculosis
cases. It can now accommodate more than 300 patients. The modern
buildings are a far cry from the dirt-floored log and adobe buildings of
the original fort.