U.S. Army Surgeons Establish Fort Bayard Medical Roots
Under the command of Lt. J. Kerr enlisted men of Company B, 125th U.S. Colored Troops commenced with the establishment of Camp Bayard. General Carleton had ordered tools for the construction of buildings on the site selected by Lt. Col. Davis. Upon arrival, housing tents were set up followed by administrative tents for the commanding officer, store houses, corrals and a temporary hospital for the post surgeon.
Made of logs, the temporary hospital, situated in the northeast section of the fort, was in place by 1867. By 1868, the hospital had deteriorated and patients once again were assigned to a tent. In 1869, near the area of the Officer’s Headquarters (Yucca Lodge) constructed in 1908, the first permanent hospital was built.
It was in the temporary hospital that Private Cathay was frequently seen following her arrival at Fort Bayard on June 6, 1868. On October 14, she was discharged by the U.S. Army Surgeon.
Submitted by Cecilia Jensen Bell, former President of the Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society. In 2004, I had the opportunity to meet Gary Grice, the 2005, author of “Fort Bayard Weather Observations”. With the assistance of Andrea Jaquez and Neta Pope, the 2011 authors of “The Fort Bayard Story”, and exploring the Fort Bayard National Historic Landmark with me, his research in the Fort Bayard area was completed.
To order his 24 page document “Fort Bayard Weather Observations”, please contact historicfortbayard.org.