fort selden state monument

We always appreciate the efforts made by the park service to present and preserve our history. The center is small but nice displays. Video is interesting. We were pleasantly surprised to be told that NM residents pay no fee on Sundays ( we donated some money ). Great views. Very clean bathrooms. Only about an hour for the visit.

The museum does a wonderful job of presenting the daily life at a fort in the middle of nowhere. I liked that there was a good deal of information on the life of military family members. The fort was impressive in its heyday judging by the photos. Sadly, it was an adobe fort so only melting ruins remain. The Buffalo Soldier statue is nicely done. For $3 and an hour of my time, it was a nice stop for a break. I didn't meet the rude people.

Was meeting a friend, they stopped by the Fort before coming over, and said that it was just pitiful. I was so embarrassed. Lived here 14 years and have always spoke so highly of this site. When I found out how rude the female staff person was, I felt I had to at least warn others.

This state, not national, monument has the remains of a mud brick fort from the latter half of the 19th century (post Civil War Era). The ruins are not impressive because, being mud brick and not covered, the elements (rain, wind, etc.) have taken their toll. We went for their Xmas luminaria event, which was low key, but interesting. There is a video to watch inside the small museum that relates the history of the fort. This was not a fort with walls, rather it consisted of long rectangular mud brick buildings arranged around a parade ground. If you do not go expecting some expansive monument, you will not be so disappointed. It rather reminded me of visiting Troy years ago--that was just a bunch of holes in the ground. The "good stuff" is all housed in museums elsewhere. Troy was not at all like Ephesus with its massive pillars and marble remains of buildings. Likewise, there is not that much left of the fort, but since we were there a number of years ago, the grounds have been improved with benches to sit on as one walks around. I don't know if there is normally a fee for this state monument. It was free for the luminaria event.

Wish I would have looked up this site before wasting my time visiting this joke of a National Monument. The people that work there are just rude. Especially this homely looking woman that works there. Her name was Janet. Gross. People like that should not be allowed to procreate. She said her husband (we were surprised she even had one) was running the cannon. She could have at least warned us about the noise. We ran into her wild, ugly kids. Just like mommy. Oh yeah, and the father said something about being in the nasty guards. What a joke. Yeah, the place was so sad, and these people made it even more so. They have white TRAILER TRASH running this place. We will never go again.

My husband and I thought this would have been a great day trip, and educational for our kids. We were so misinformed. We should have left as soon as we were greeted by the lady taking our "donation". My son asked her something about Buffalo Soldiers. And she just stared at him, no reply, very rude, I finally told my son that she was probably a volunteer. The tiny museum was clean, and had some antiques, but was nothing that we hadn't already seen at other sites we had visited. When we walked out to the back, we were so disappointed. It was supposed to have been an event they called Ft Selden Days. We went from stand to stand. I, nor my husband was not impressed. In fact it was sad. The ruins look terrible. The people were rude. Their outfits looked like Halloween costumes. Very disappointing. We will not recommend this to anyone.

Took my family to the "Fort Seldon Days" event and was just totally disgusted. The female taking the money was very rude, and mentally unstable. Not to mention it was obvious that she had no idea what she was talking about. We went thru the museum, and out thru the door in the back. My wife and I thought it couldn't get any worst. Very unfriendly staff. I guess they will allow anyone to volunteer. This was not at all what we were expecting. No shade, their trees looked as if they were all dying. The adobe walls were not maintained. Weeds everywhere. This is one place I would never visit again, and will let all of my friends and family know not to waste their time and especially their money. Very disappointed.

If you got 30 minutes and are nearby, go at see the place.The personal there are super friendly, and ready for a talk.

The Fort Selden ruins are nearly all eroded away by time and weather. Nevertheless, the small State of New Mexico museum collection located adjacent to the ruins are very well presented and informative. The State Ranger who managed the museum was friendly and well versed in military history. The short video offered at the beginning was also quite helpful and informative. What my wife and I especially appreciated about this museum was it's rather down and dirty presentation of the daily lives of the soldiers and their families at this U.S. Army fort from the time of the Civil War to the late 1800's.

The ruins at Fort Selden in poor condition, but the state is taking measures to stop the deterioration. It's very educational and the little museum shows life at the fort from 1865 on. Definitely worth the visit.

I highly recommend stopping here if you're traveling on I-25. It's a nice place to stretch your legs and learn a little history. The old fort is set in a very peaceful and picturesque area. The attraction has a small museum that is very informative. I recommend watching the 10 minute film. It's quick but it will give you a better feel for the fort when you walk around. The site itself is in ruins but it's certainly still worth the trip. It oozes charm and I could easily imagine myself walking around the fort 140 years ago when it was in its heyday. An hours should be plenty of time to get a good feel for the place. I'll certainly be back with friends and family that come to visit. The attraction cost $3 for adults, NM residents are free on Sundays.(As a side note, I recommend driving north on route 185 for a bit after visiting the fort. It is one of the prettiest drives I've done in the area. The road winds next to the Rio Grande, though hills and next to gorgeous mountains. I drove all the way to Hatch, NH, which was less than 20 miles but well worth the drive)

We visited this old Fort site on a long auto tour. The visitor center/museum had many artifacts original to the site. A short film provided basic historical background. Particularly fascinating were the cook's recipes for a variety of offerings. Also the plaques depicting the activities of the mainly Black American troops were worth spending time. The Fort site itself has many crumbling adobe walls that some local historians are attempting to refurbish. But a walk around the grounds, which is self guided gives a good perspective on the size of the Fort. If you are a history buff, put this on your list. We felt it was an interesting couple of hours.

If you are a history or military buff, this stop is probably up your alley. Nice little museum and adobe walls of what remains of the Fort.