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Fort Sumner
Located on the Pecos River, the town of Fort Sumner, New Mexico was first known as Sunnyside, New Mexico ( in San Miguel County) with a post office from 1878 to 1882. After Guadalupe County was formed in 1891 it was again Sunnyside, New Mexico with a post office 1905 to 1910. From the beginning there were two towns, Sunnyside and Fort Sumner. The Sunnyside Review reported April 17, 1909 that the two side-by-side towns had resolved their differences and merged to become one town called Fort Sumner, New Mexico with a post office from 1910 to the present (1997). Fort Sumner is on US 60, NM 20 and the AT&SF RR. It is the center of an irrigation district, and was the headquarters for construction of Alamogordo Dam now on Sumner Lake.
Fort Sumner was incorporated as a village at a meeting of the Guadalupe County Commissioners probably after 1910. It was named for the military fort which was established in 1862 by General Carleton, and which honored General Edmond Vose Sumner, commander of the 9th Military District. A post office was established in 1866 for the Fort and used intermittently at various locations after the military fort was closed until 1910. The last location was near Sunnyside where the AT & SF RR had built a depot about 1908. The town of Fort Sumner had found a home at last and when it found a place to stay, it grew by leaps and bounds.
After June 8, 1917 when De Baca, County was established, Fort Sumner was designated as the county seat. There it is today. A ranching and farming community and a monument to the old military fort and the legend of Billy The Kid.
In the 1897 business directory the following information is listed for Fort Sumner in Guadalupe County: "Population 150, is 45 miles southeast of Puerto de Luna on the Pecos River, mail twice a week from Las Vegas, weekly from Roswell, school four months, banking at Las Vegas and Roswell, Catholic church services semi-annually, principal resources livestock, elevation 4, 060 feet."
The same 1897 business directory listed the following stockmen: "Manual Abreu, saloon and sheep; Pablo Beaubien, sheep; Blanton, sheep; Consolidated Cattle Co., cattle; Flixon Brothers, sheep; C. W. Foor, postmaster and justice; Gillespie & Bro., cattle; Pete Maxwell, sheep; Joe Olivera (DeOliveira), sheep; John Olivera (DeOliveira), sheep; Pecos Mercantile Co., general merchandise; B. B. Palmer, cattle; Lon Reed, cattle; W. F. Spitz, cattle; Fred Gerhardt, sheep, Lony Horn, cattle; Mercedes Lobato, sheep; Anastacio Mares, sheep; Jesus Silva, sheep; Wheeler & Co., Gen. mdse.; E. J. Wilcox, cattle."
In 1940, Fort Sumner had a population of 1,982. Fort Sumner's chief industries at that time were cattle & sheep raising and farming. The main crops were alfalfa, sweet potatoes, apples, grapes and melons. During WW II the old TAT air field was put back in shape for training airmen. NASA uses the airfield for research with balloons even now (1997). There is a lot of history in Fort Sumner country.
CONTACTS: Chamber of Commerce: (505) 355-7705; 355-2850 Fax; ftsumnercoc@plateautel.net; www.ftsumnerchamber.com; City Hall (Permits): 355-2401; 355-7941 Fax
Fort Sumner
Fort Sumner, NM 88119
www.rootsweb.com/~nmdebaca/Fortsmnr.htm
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