Lot
1145 
Fort Union, N.Mex, Feb 9 (Mora), intense bold strike and partial adjacent tie 3¢ rose (65) single and pair on cover to Portsmouth N.H.; right 3¢ couple perf flaws, reduced at left, otherwise Very Fine. Estimate $200 - 300.
Fort Union was eight miles north of Watrous and the ruins are a National Monument on NM 161. It was built in 1851 to protect traffic on the Santa Fe trail. At one time it was the largest fort in the Southwest with a peak strength of about 3000. The coming of the railroad in 1880 and the shifting of the Indian problems to the south led to its abandonment.