On the site located 100 yards west of this sign resided the L.G. Murphy Sutler Store (the post trader). Begun in 1866 by Lawrence G. Murphy and Emil Fritz (both former Dragoons stationed at Fort Stanton), it was a large, rambling, adobe structure of several connected buildings with many rooms. Within its walls, soldiers and civilians could find all of life's amenities not provided by the Army. Murphy was expelled from the fort in 1873 and moved to Lincoln where he and James Dolan built the Murphy-Dolan store. This building also became the first Mescalero Indian Agency building before the Agency was moved to the present location of the town of Mescalero.
Top photo etching caption - Mescalero Apaches in front of the Agency/Sutler Store. Bottom photo etching caption - Ledger sheet from the L.G. Murphy Co.
As you cast your gaze across the field, notice the beautiful vistas surrounding Fort Stanton from the picturesque Rio Bonito to the majestic Sierra Blanca. This beauty has captured the hearts of generations of visitors and residents alike.
'It was probably the best built post in New Mexico, and in a position unsurpassed for the beauty of its surrounding scenery, and affording every requisite for a military life.'
Captain A.W. Evans, Acting Assistant Inspector General, July 13, 1863
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