Rio Grande Historical Collections Photographs, 1885-1930
Date
1918
Decade
1910s
Subject (LCSH)
Nurses
Soldiers
Portraits, Group
Railroad travel
Passenger trains
Buildings
New Mexico
Historical context
The Fort Bayard Nurse's Photograph Albums collection includes 76 black and white photographs from the 1910s depicting Fort Bayard, its vicinities, staff members, and patients. Most of the photographs are mounted in two small albums. An additional seven black and white prints complement the albums. The albums were compiled by unknown nurses during their employment at the army hospital and sanatorium for the treatment of pulmonary tuberculosis at Fort Bayard.
Founded in 1866, Fort Bayard was one of the military posts established to provide protection for settlers, miners, ranchers, and business trails in the area against the Apaches. It was named after Brigadier General George D. Bayard who died in the 1862 Battle of Fredericksburg during the American Civil War. The fort was initially garrisoned by African-American “Buffalo Soldiers” from Company B of the 125th U.S. Colored Infantry. After the Indian Wars ended, in 1899, the fort was converted into the army’s first tuberculosis field hospital and it continued treating tuberculosis patients until the 1960s. In 1922, Fort Bayard was transferred to the Veterans Administration, and in 1965 it became a state hospital. It provided long-term care for patients until 2010
Extent
Size original: 2.75 x 5 in.; 2.75 x 4.625 in.; 2.125 x 4.75 in.; 2.375 x 4.375 in.; 2.125 x 4.75 in.
Size of mounting: 7.625 x 10.125 in.
Notes
Captured moments of men, women, nurses and soldiers posing for photos in different locations
Digital publisher
New Mexico State University Library
Source
NMSU Library Archives and Special Collections
Source collection name: Fort Bayard Nurse's Photograph Albums, 1910s