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History · Fort Wingate

Fort Wingate dates to 1862, and 2 of its places are on the National Register

Most of Fort Wingate was built recently: 0.0% of its homes predate 1940 and the median home dates from 1960. 2 places in town are on the National Register, among them two historic districts with 29 buildings between them. Below: 12 old photos and papers and maps from 1963 on.

1862founded
2on the National Register
0.0%homes built before 1940
12old photos & papers
Add an old photoShare a memory
From Fort Wingate’s archive · credits on each photo
Quick answers

How Fort Wingate began, and where its name came from

When was Fort Wingate founded?

1862

Fort Wingate dates its founding to 1862 (Wikidata). Its post office opened in 1874.

2020 census: 328164 years

How did Fort Wingate get its name?

Fort Wingate was named for Major Benjamin Wingate, 5th U.S. Infantry, who died on 1 June 1862 from wounds he received during the Battle of Valverde.

Founding year: Wikidata. First post office: 1874. Name: Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.The full story ↓

What stands out about Fort Wingate’s past

Read from the archive, the National Register and the record. The page puts what stands out first.

A town in old photos12 old photos, postcards and papers, 1873–1909.Old housesHalf of Fort Wingate’s homes were built before 1960.
★ What stands out · By decade

Fort Wingate, decade by decade

4 decades in the archive, from the 1870s to the 1900s. Scroll each row; tap a photo for its story.

1870s7 items
Distant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, photographer1873Distant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873 - T. H…Parade ground at Fort Wingate, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, phot1873Parade ground at Fort Wingate, 1873 - T. H. O'Sulliva…Survey camp near Fort Wingate, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, photographer1873Survey camp near Fort Wingate, 1873 - T. H. O'Sulliva…Officers' quarters1873Officers' quartersOfficers' quarters1873Officers' quartersDistant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 18731873Distant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873Parade ground at Fort Wingate, 18731873Parade ground at Fort Wingate, 1873
1880s–1900s5 items
Members of the United States Geological Survey measuring a baseline near Fort Wingate, N.M., 18831883Members of the United States Geological Survey measur…Map of Fort Wingate, New Mexico and the Surrounding Area1884Map of Fort Wingate, New Mexico and the Surrounding A…MapMap of Fort Wingate, New Mexico and the Surrounding Area1884Map of Fort Wingate, New Mexico and the Surrounding A…MapShufeldt Wingate1895Shufeldt WingateMap of1909Map ofMap
1910s–1990snothing yet
Nothing in the archives for these yearsWeddings on Main Street, storms, parades, school pictures, the old store. If it’s in your family album, it belongs here.
Add from your album
The story

How Fort Wingate came to be

From Wikipedia’s history of Fort Wingate.

Read it all →

Ojo del Oso (in Spanish meaning "Eye of the Bear" or "Bear Spring") was a Navajo place visited for good grazing and water.

1849: A hay camp was set up near Seboyeta, New Mexico and was called Fort Wingate. It was named for Major Benjamin Wingate, 5th U.S. Infantry, who died on 1 June 1862 from wounds he received during the Battle of Valverde.

1860: Fort Fauntleroy was established at Bear Springs (Ojo del Oso) as an outpost of Fort Defiance. Colonel Thomas T. Fauntleroy named the fort for himself.

Chapters19th century20th century21st century

Text from Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Timeline

Fort Wingate, 1862 to 1963

Woven from the archive, old maps, post office records, the National Register and the people born here.

  1. 19th century
  2. 1862
    FoundingFort Wingate is established
  3. 1862BuiltFort Wingate Historic District is built
  4. 1873In the archiveDistant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, photographer
  5. 1874Post officeThe Fort Wingate post office opens
  6. 1883In the archiveMembers of the United States Geological Survey measuring a baseline near Fort Wingate, N.…
  7. 1895In the archiveShufeldt Wingate
  8. 20th century
  9. 1909In the archiveMap of
  10. 1935BuiltSouthwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory Historic District is built
  11. 1963On the mapFirst mapped by the U.S. Geological Survey
On the map

Fort Wingate on the map, 1963 to 1995

Every edition of the U.S. Geological Survey’s map of Fort Wingate. Tap a year, or press play to watch the town change.

Fort Wingate on the 1963 USGS mapFort Wingate on the 1979 USGS mapFort Wingate on the 1995 USGS map1963Fort Wingate sheet · 1:24,000

U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (public domain), via Esri’s collection of the scans. The red ring marks the center of Fort Wingate.

Then & now

Stand where they stood

No then-and-now pairs yet. Take a photo from the same spot as an old one and they appear here side by side.

Distant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, photographer
Retake this viewDistant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexico, 1873 - T. H. O'Sullivan, photographer, 1873

Find the spot, match the angle, and add your photo. It becomes the first then-and-now pair on Fort Wingate’s page.

Retake this view · +15
On the National Register

2 listings protect 29 historic buildings

The country’s official list of buildings and places worth saving. Boundary changes and added documentation are counted with their listing.

places listed
2
National Historic Landmarks
0
none yet
historic buildings protected
29
each building in a district counts
first listed
2003
Southwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laborator…
Fort Wingate Historic District, built 1862
Districts

Architectural styles listings

Pueblo Revival1
Fort Wingate Historic DistrictBuilt 1862
All 2 listings
Southwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory Historic DistrictDistrict · listed 2003

National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places. Photos from Wikimedia Commons, credited on each place’s page.

Help out

Finish Fort Wingate’s story

Most archives stop around 1920. The photos from after that are in family albums, not libraries.

Decades since 1900 with photos
00s10s20s30s40s50s60s70s80s90s
1 of 10 decades. The empty ones are waiting for someone’s album.
Retake an old viewDistant view of Fort Wingate, New Mexic…: stand where they stood+15Share a family photoSign in to add one+10

Questions about Fort Wingate’s history

What year was Fort Wingate founded?

In 1862, according to Wikidata. Fort Wingate’s post office opened in 1874.

What is on the National Register in Fort Wingate?

Two places: the Fort Wingate Historic District (listed 2026) and the Southwestern Range and Sheep Breeding Laboratory Historic District (2003).

Memory lane

What the archives can’t tell you, neighbors can.

Town Square →
Start a conversation
Sources

Where this page comes from

Founding dates: Wikidata, Wikipedia, the U.S. post office records of Blevins & Helbock (CC0) and the Census. Homes by year built: Census ACS 2020–24. National Register of Historic Places: National Park Service (list of May 22, 2026). Old photos, postcards and papers: Wikimedia Commons, the Library of Congress and other public archives, credited on each item’s page. Maps: U.S. Geological Survey historical topographic maps (via Esri) and Sanborn fire-insurance maps (Library of Congress). History text and census tables: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 4.0). Places that used to be: USGS Geographic Names Information System (2021). How TownRatings grades history →

From Wikimedia Commons (8), the Library of Congress (4), the National Register of Historic Places (2), Wikipedia, U.S. Geological Survey historical maps, the US Post Offices dataset (Blevins & Helbock) and the USGS Geographic Names Information System. Archive images are copied here with their credits and licenses, shown on each photo’s page. Refreshed monthly.