Abandoned Record
About Fort Fillmore
Fort Fillmore, located at 32°13′30″N 106°42′52″W, was a United States military fortification established by Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner in September 1851 near Mesilla in what is now New Mexico, primarily for the purpose of protecting settlers and traders traveling to California. Early frontier migrants were under constant threat from attack by local Native Americans, and a network of forts was eventually created by the U.S. government to protect and encourage westward expansion.
This is a site record: what public sources say about Fort Fillmore, gathered in one place. We haven't written a full guide yet, so history, current access and photos are still to come. Treat the status as unknown until a guide confirms it.
Map
Where Fort Fillmore is
Historic maps
8 historic USGS maps cover Fort Fillmore
Topographic sheets from the USGS Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain), oldest first. Older sheets often show the camp, mines and roads while the place was alive. The downloads are large map scans; USGS topoView shows them in the browser.
- 1891 Las Cruces sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1893 Las Cruces sheet, 1:125,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1943 La Mesa sheet, 1:62,500 · GeoTIFF download
- 1955 San Miguel sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1955 Las Cruces sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1958 Las Cruces sheet, 1:250,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1982 Las Cruces sheet, 1:100,000 · GeoTIFF download
- 1996 San Miguel sheet, 1:24,000 · GeoTIFF download
Directions
Getting there
Before you go
- Many ghost town sites are on private land, active mining claims or tribal land. Check land status and ask permission.
- Roads to old townsites are often unmaintained dirt. Map apps may route over closed or impassable tracks.
- Removing artifacts from public land is illegal under federal and most state laws.
Nearby
Other sites near Fort Fillmore
Straight-line distance to other mapped sites in our New Mexico index.
Sources
Sources
- ghosttowns.com, "Fort Fillmore": county, roads, climate, best time to visit, remains.
- Wikipedia, "Fort Fillmore": coordinates and summary.
- Wikidata Q5471142.
- USGS 3D Elevation Program, elevation at the coordinates.
- USGS The National Map and Historical Topographic Map Collection (public domain).