|Today we took another side trip from Santa Fe to Fort Union, northeast of Santa Fe off of I-25. There were two forts built, beginning in 1851, before the 3rd and largest fort was completed. It is the ruins of this 3rd fort that can be seen today. The fort helped maintain civil law and order, protected settlements, travelers, and transportation and communication routes (i.e., Santa Fe trail) as a result of the occupation of New Mexico. It was also a major supply center for many other forts in the southwest. The fort lasted for 40 years until the arrival of the railroads. We also followed a section of the Santa Fe Trail ruts still surviving to this day. After leaving the Fort, we drove north parallel to the Santa Fe Trail and stopped to see Wagon Mound, a famous Santa Fe Trail landmark before returning to our RV.