Established 8 May 1865 at the southern end of the Jordada del Muerto trail near the east bank of the Rio Grande River to protect settlers and travelers.
Fort Selden Officers Quarters Once Occupied by General Douglas MacArthur as a boy
The post built over two and a half years in a classic rectangular configuration with a central parade, officer's quarters on the north end, enlisted barracks on the south end, the hospital on the west side and support buildings on the east side. The Commanding Officers quarters was situated at the northwest corner of the parade.
Most of the post buildings were built of adobe due to a lack of wood.
Captain Arthur MacArthur was the post commander from 1884 to 1886 and his son, General Douglas MacArthur spent part of his youth here.
The post was abandoned in 1878 and used as a mail station until re-garrisoned in 1880 to protect railroad construction workers. Abandoned again 20 Jan 1891 after the hostile Indian threat ended.
Roberts, Robert B., Encyclopedia of Historic Forts: The Military, Pioneer, and Trading Posts of the United States, Macmillan, New York, 1988, 10th printing, ISBN 0-02-926880-X, page 529-530.
Frazer, Robert W., Forts of the West, University of Oklahoma Press, Norman OK, 1965, ISBN 0-8061-1250-6, page 102-103.
