Fort Selden State Monument is off Interstate 25 at Exit 19 13 miles north
of Las Cruces, at Radium Springs, in Dona Ana County, southwest US.
The Monument is at the same location as was the original Fort Selden,
built in 1865 to protect settlers from outlaws and Apache Indians.
For a quarter of a century soldiers at the Fort did. Now (2002)
ruins of the Fort, a Visitors' Center, plus other attractions in the
area make for some excellent photo opportunities.
Fort Selden was across the Rio Grande River from Robledo Mountain. On top of
Robledo Mountain the army built a "sun telegraph" or "heliograph" station.
Using mirrors to reflect the sun, soldiers who knew Morse code
were able to both send new messages and relay other messages 50 miles or
more to other military heliograph stations atop distant mountains.
In 1884, the post commander was Captain Arthur MacArthur, whose son,
General Douglas MacArthur, became famous in World War II. He spent several
years of his childhood at Fort Selden in company with officers and soldiers
including units of African-American troops called "Buffalo Soldiers".