Forts of the West

by Robert Walter Frazer

No history of the area of the United States west of the Mississippi can be written without reference to military establishments. Indeed, it can be said that the soldier and the Indian spanned the history of the West-- and not by chance, for from the time of the first Spanish settlements down to 1898 the primary reason for stationing troops in the West was to control the Indians. It is true that Mexico established posts in Texas to block the illegal movement of persons and goods from the United States into its territory. Spain and France maintained petty garrisons face to face on either side of the Arroyo Hondo. During the Mexican War, the United States had large numbers of troops in the West doing something other than controlling Indians. Yet the great majority of western military posts established prior to the Spanish-American War were concerned with the Indians. The number and variety of forts and posts, together with changes of location, name, and designation, have posed perplexing