For the former military post, see
Fort Lyon
.
Unincorporated community in Colorado, United States
Fort Lyon
is an
unincorporated community
and
U.S. Post Office
in
Bent County
,
Colorado
, United States. The Fort Lyon Post Office had the
ZIP Code
81038, though the zip code for nearby Las Animas (81054) is also used.
[2]
A post office called Fort Lyon was established in 1862.
[3]
The community was named after
Nathaniel Lyon
, an officer in the American Civil War.
[4]
History
[
edit
]
Several
Civil War
missions occurred at Fort Lyon, including the
1st New Mexico Volunteer Infantry, Reorganized
, the
9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment
, and the
15th Infantry Regiment
.
McLain's Independent Light Artillery Battery
was an
artillery battery
serving in the
Union Army
.
The
Sand Creek massacre
also occurred in the community.
Fort Dodge
was used to maintain order along the
Santa Fe Trail
between there and
Fort Lyon
.
Galvanized Yankees
in the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Infantry traveled from
Fort Leavenworth
,
Kansas
, to Fort Lyon.
[5]
Some
German prisoners of war
were buried at Fort Lyon and built furniture and worked on local roads.
[6]
The ghost town of
Sheridan
, in
Logan County, Kansas
, became a railhead for westbound freight to the Santa Fe Trail on a 120-mile (190 km) wagon road to the area.
[7]
Geography
[
edit
]
Fort Lyon is located at
38°05′48″N
103°09′07″W
/
38.09667°N 103.15194°W
/
38.09667; -103.15194
(38.096741,-103.152008).
Climate
[
edit
]
According to the
Koppen Climate Classification
system, Fort Lyon has a
semi-arid climate
, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.
[8]
Notable people
[
edit
]
- Eugene Davis
, a doctor who managed a Veterans Administration facility in Fort Lyon.
[9]
- Farmer Ray
, former
Major League Baseball
player, was born in Fort Lyon.
- Edward W. Wynkoop
, a post commander at Fort Lyon.
- Samuel F. Tappan
, military officer
- Enoch Steen
, United States military officer who commanded at Fort Lyon.
[10]
- Josephine Beatrice Bowman
, Navy nurse stationed at Fort Lyon
- Walter McCaw
, Army surgeon
[11]
[12]
- William Nathaniel Thomas
, Navy chaplain who served at the US Public Service Hospital.
[13]
- Kit Carson
, a frontiersman who died at the surgeon's quarters in Fort Lyon.
[14]
- Laurice Aldridge Tatum, namesake of the
USS Tatum
, served at Fort Lyon's Naval Hospital.
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
"US Board on Geographic Names"
.
United States Geological Survey
. October 25, 2007
. Retrieved
January 31,
2008
.
- ^
a
b
"ZIP Code Lookup"
. United States Postal Service. December 15, 2006. Archived from
the original
(
JavaScript
/
HTML
)
on November 22, 2010
. Retrieved
December 15,
2006
.
- ^
"Post offices"
. Jim Forte Postal History. Archived from
the original
on March 6, 2016
. Retrieved
June 25,
2016
.
- ^
Dawson, John Frank.
Place names in Colorado: why 700 communities were so named, 150 of Spanish or Indian origin
. Denver, CO: The J. Frank Dawson Publishing Co. p. 22.
- ^
Brown (1963), pp. 45?53.
- ^
Lloyd, R. Scott,
"Wreath-laying honors WWI German prisoners buried at Fort Douglas"
,
Deseret News
, November 14, 2010. Retrieved March 28, 2011.
- ^
"Travel the Trail: Map Timeline 1866-1873"
.
Santa Fe National Historic Trail
. National Park Service
. Retrieved
April 19,
2020
.
- ^
Climate Summary for Fort Lyon, Colorado
- ^
Virginia - Google Books
. January 5, 2010
. Retrieved
December 4,
2012
– via
Google Books
.
- ^
Henry, Guy V.,
"Enoch Steen"
,
Military Record of Army and Civilian Appointments in the United States Army
(Volume II), D. Van Nostrand Publisher, New York, New York, 1873, p. 193.
- ^
Burdick, Alfred S., ed. (December 1922).
"Brigadier General Walter D. McCaw"
.
The American Journal of Clinical Medicine
. New York, NY: A. S. Burdick. pp. 859?860 – via
Google Books
.
- ^
"Assistant Surgeon W. D. McCaw"
.
Kansas City Times
. Kansas City, MO. November 28, 1884. p. 5 – via
Newspapers.com
.
- ^
Martin, P. 2.
- ^
Sides, 2006
, pp. 482?483