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Fort Stanton

This page contains three photos of Fort Stanton. The fort is located about nine miles to the west of the town of Lincoln. During the Lincoln County War, the fort figured prominently as a refuge for those seeking sanctuary. Lt. Col. N. A. M. Dudley, commander of Stanton, led several troops out of the fort into Lincoln on July 19, 1878, in which he ended up basically "winning" the war for the Murphy-Dolan-Riley side. After the war, the Dudley Court of Inquiry was held here, in order to determine whether Dudley should be court-martialed for his actions in Lincoln on July 19. Billy the Kid testified here against Dudley during the inquiry, as did many others from the Tunstall-McSween-Chisum side, but, nonetheless, all charges against Dudley were eventually dismissed. Today, the fort acts as a drug rehabilitation center.

Fort Stanton entrance

This photo shows a sign marking the entrance to the fort.

Fort Stanton

This photo shows the basic appearance and main buildings of the fort. Many of these buildings were probably around during the days of the Lincoln County War.

Officer's Quarters

This photo shows what was probably the officer's quarters.