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.
