Fort Reynolds

Here's a bit of historical lore. There is a small marker on the north side of US 50, just this side of the Avondale exit.

It is often hidden by weeds so it can be difficult to see.

Fort Reynolds was named after Major General John Reynolds, who was killed at Gettysburg.

I did a little research on the fort and some of the people who were associated with it. It was an adobe fort that existed near the location of what is now Avondale. Constructed in 1867, it was in commission until 1872.

It was first occupied by F Company of the 5th United States Infantry - the 'Bobcats'. By the summer of 1868, Captain Charles A. Curtis was in command of Fort Reynolds. According to FindAGrave, Captain Curtis retired from the army in 1870, and had a distinguished post-service career. The source cited shows three different biographies with some conflicting details, but in one area they are all in 'agreeance:' Curtis was an accomplished and very active individual.

Other known commanders include Captain Simon Snyder and Captain H. B. Bristol. The timelines regarding the occupancy of the fort are fuzzy at best. Captain Snyder was an interesting fellow, too. His wife died in 1874, leaving him as a single father with a young daughter, Lillian. This is described in "The Young Troopers: Stories of Army Children on the Frontier"by Paige Ramsay-Palmer, in the chapter entitled, "Single Father." There is a photo of Captain Snyder in the book, taken in 1880's. Captain Snyder was eventually promoted to Brigadier General and commanded a division during the Spanish-American war. General Snyder died in April, 1912, and is buried in the Charles Evans cemetery, Reading, PA.

Captain H. B. Bristol retired from the army in the spring of 1879. In addition to commanding Fort Reynolds, he had participated in the forced relocation of the Navajo in 1864, as noted in "The Long Walk: The Forced Navajo Exile", page 65. Bristol commanded four companies of infantry in Sheridan's southern plains campaign of 1874-75 (The Red River_War). He commanded Fort Sumner during the summer of 1864, according to "The Civil War in New Mexico."

Unfortunately, Fort Reynolds was apparently not considered a very significant part of the history of the 5th, and there is almost no mention of the establishment in the official unit history. In the nature of a rabbit trail, we find that Daniel Butterfield was Colonel of the Regiment for a time. Butterfield is most famous as the fellow who came up with "Taps", deriving it from the British "Tatoo", another military bugle/drum signal.

There was also a company of the 7th US cavalry here at Fort Reynolds, for a short time. The 7th, as you will recall, is famous for Custer's Last Stand.

The first known reference to an earthquake in Colorado was on December 4, 1870. The report consists of an account of bottles on a shelf, one inch apart which were knocked together violently. This incident took place at Fort Reynolds.

Troops were sent from Fort Reynolds to help contain "The Christmas Day War" in Trinidad in 1867. 

The marker is by the side of the road, almost hidden by weeds, just this side of the Avondale exit off US 50. There is nothing left of the fort.

Santa Fe Farmers' Market

We also hit the farmers' market. Despite the time of year, there was a remarkable amount of veggie goods available, in addition to some absolutely outstanding bread works, and other goodies.

Warping the Kromski

Leece warps her Kromski loom.

Santa Fe's Museum of International Folk Art

The museum of folk art is on Museum Hill, which is also home to the Museum of Spanish Colonial Art; the Museum of Indian Arts and Culture; and the Wheelwright Museum of the American Indian. And, the Santa Fe Botanical Garden is on the Hill as well.

We spent a good part of the day here. It's well worth a visit.

Santa Fe

Earlier this year we went down to Santa Fe.

We stopped in at the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

Excerpted from the Wiki article on the cathedral:

The cathedral was built by Archbishop Jean Baptiste Lamy between 1869 and 1886 on the site of an older adobe church, La Parroquia (built in 1714–1717). An older church on the same site, built in 1626, was destroyed in the 1680 Pueblo Revolt. The new cathedral was built around La Parroquia, which was dismantled once the new construction was complete. A small chapel on the north side of the cathedral was kept from the old church.

Influenced by the French-born Archbishop Lamy and in dramatic contrast to the surrounding adobe structures, Saint Francis Cathedral was designed in the Romanesque Revival style. As such, the cathedral features characteristic round arches separated by Corinthian columns and truncated square towers. The large rose window in front and those of the Twelve Apostles in the lateral nave windows were imported from Clermont-Ferrand in France. The towers were originally planned to be topped with dramatic 160-foot (49 m) steeples, but due to lack of funds, these were never built. The north tower is a single row of bricks taller than the south tower. The cathedral was built from yellow limestone blocks quarried near the present site of Lamy. A 2005 addition to the upper façade of the cathedral is a small, round window featuring a dove, the symbol of the Holy Spirit. It is a stained glass replica of the translucent alabaster window designed in the 17th century by the Italian artist Bernini for St. Peter's Basilica in Vatican City.

The Cathedral of Saint Francis of Assisi was officially elevated to a basilica by Pope Benedict XVI on October 4, 2005, when it was named the Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi.

There is paid parking available in the cathedral parking lot, behind and to the right of the church as you stand looking at the main entrance. Parking otherwise in this area is a crapshoot.