On the grounds of this park is the Old Fort Marcy ruins. Historic Interpretation Signs tell the history of Fort Marcy. All that remain of the ruins is a flattened mound.
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Chief Justice, Territory of New Mexico, 1879-1882 Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1889-1893
L. Bradford Prince's contributions to New Mexico & its people spanned more than forty years of service. He is described by historians as every inch a man with the physique of a frontier man & a stature of a soldier. Appointed Chief Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879, after a distinguished career in New York state politics, Prince fell in love with Santa Fe & the Rio Ariba country, & he remained in his adopted land.
As chief Justice, & later as Territorial Governor Prince was concerned with improving conditions & securing equal treatment & protection of the rights of the Spanish-speaking citizens. He insisted that all proclamations & laws be published in both English & Spanish. He complied the confusing hodge-podge of enactments since U.S. occupation as well as the ancient Spanish irrigation, mining, & community customs & rights, into the first New Mexico Statutes.
Economics progress marked Governor Prince's administration, due largely to his influence in attracting Eastern capital. Under his prodding the legislature established the first public school system & institutions of higher learning were
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Chief Justice, Territory of New Mexico, 1879-1882 Territorial Governor of New Mexico, 1889-1893
L. Bradford Prince's contributions to New Mexico & its people spanned more than forty years of service. He is described by historians as every inch a man with the physique of a frontier man & a stature of a soldier. Appointed Chief Justice of the Territorial Supreme Court by President Rutherford B. Hayes in 1879, after a distinguished career in New York state politics, Prince fell in love with Santa Fe & the Rio Ariba country, & he remained in his adopted land.
As chief Justice, & later as Territorial Governor Prince was concerned with improving conditions & securing equal treatment & protection of the rights of the Spanish-speaking citizens. He insisted that all proclamations & laws be published in both English & Spanish. He complied the confusing hodge-podge of enactments since U.S. occupation as well as the ancient Spanish irrigation, mining, & community customs & rights, into the first New Mexico Statutes.
Economics progress marked Governor Prince's administration, due largely to his influence in attracting Eastern capital. Under his prodding the legislature established the first public school system & institutions of higher learning were constructed during his governorship. He constantly labored for statehood and it was secured in 1912.
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You are standing on Fort Marcy Hill, a site of human occupation for a thousand years. Pueblo Indians & their ancestors lived here. Between 1600- & 1680, the hill was common land for Santa Fe colonist. The Spanish built a small fort on a hill nearby to house the guardia de prevencion, the city guard. In 1846, early in the Mexican-American War, the hill became a haven for U.S. Army soldiers, who were threatened by local people opposing American occupation.
Turbulant times were seen from this hill above Santa Fe. The election of President James K. Polk in 1844 pushed the United States towards a policy of westward expansion. While the U. S. government ammexed Texas & looked west at the Mexican provinces of New Mexico & California, Mexico refused to negotiate. Following a skirmish mounted patrol in a disputed area along the Texas-Mexico border, President Polk declared war on May 13, 1846.
*This map shows Santa Fe & the Mexican province of New Mexico well beyond the border of the United States.
*A great deal changed during the following 14 years. In 1845 Texas became part of the United States. New Mexico became an American territory in 1848. By 1850 California was in the U.S. & the present-day U.S.-Mexico border was established.
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Fort Marcy was constructed in 1846 at the outset of the Mexican-American War by the U.S. Army following the invasion & capture of the Mexican City of Santa Fe. The Americans built a fort atop this hill to protect the troops in the case of an uprising. The fort provided a clear view of Santa Fe & sent a message to its residents that the city had a new government.
The Fort is listed on the National Register of Historic Places & the State Register of Cultural Properties. Fort Macy has been certified as a site along the Santa Fe National Historic Trail.
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