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Santa Fe National Cemetery

Coordinates: 35°41′54″N 105°56′56″W / 35.69833°N 105.94889°W / 35.69833; -105.94889
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Santa Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe National Cemetery, 2008
Map
Details
Established1870 (1870)
Location
Santa Fe, New Mexico
CountryUnited States
Coordinates35°41′54″N 105°56′56″W / 35.69833°N 105.94889°W / 35.69833; -105.94889
TypeUnited States National Cemetery
Owned byUS Department of Veterans Affairs
Size84.3 acres (34.1 ha)
No. of interments> 68,000
WebsiteOfficial
Find a GraveSanta Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe National Cemetery is located in New Mexico
Santa Fe National Cemetery
Santa Fe National Cemetery is located in the United States
Santa Fe National Cemetery
Location501 N. Guadalupe St., Santa Fe, New Mexico
Coordinates35°41′54″N 105°56′56″W / 35.69833°N 105.94889°W / 35.69833; -105.94889
NRHP reference No.16000588[1]
Added to NRHPSeptember 6, 2016

Santa Fe National Cemetery is a United States National Cemetery in the city of Santa Fe, in Santa Fe County, New Mexico. It encompasses 84.3 acres (34.1 ha), and as of 2021, had 68,000 interments. Administered by the United States Department of Veterans Affairs, it is one of two national cemeteries in New Mexico (the other being Fort Bayard). It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2016.[2]

History

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The first known burial in the cemetery occurred in 1868 prior to the formal establishment of the land as a national cemetery.[3] Though New Mexico only played a small part in the American Civil War, the cemetery was created after the war to inter the Union soldiers who died fighting there, primarily at the Battle of Glorieta Pass. The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Santa Fe donated the land to the federal government in 1870. In 1876 its status was changed to a post cemetery, but in 1885 it became a national cemetery once again. The remains of Governor Charles Bent, the first American governor of the Territory of New Mexico, were among 47 bodies removed in 1895 from the old Masonic Cemetery in Santa Fe to the national cemetery. Between 1896 and 1912, the government moved remains here from several abandoned forts which had small post cemeteries including Apache and Grant in Arizona, Hatch and Wingate in New Mexico, and Duchesne in Utah among many other smaller posts. In 1953, the government acquired an additional 25 acres, bringing the cemetery to 34 acres.[4] On June 23, 1987, the remains of 31 Confederate soldiers of the Texas Mounted Volunteers who were killed or died as a result of wounds during the Battle of Glorieta Pass were discovered in a mass grave on the battlefield. Three were identified and 28 who could not be identified were reburied in Section K together.[5] In 2007 the remains of sixty-four federal soldiers and civilians discovered by the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation at the site of Fort Craig were relocated to here.[6] In 2017 the Veterans Administration was unsuccessful in purchasing six acres of land adjacent to the cemetery and current estimates are that the site will be at capacity before 2030.[7]

Notable monuments

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  • Memorial made of granite and bronze dedicated to World War II Glider Pilots, erected in 1994.
  • Memorial to "Women Who Served in the Navy" erected in 1995.
  • The China-Burma-India Veterans Memorial, dedicated to World War II veterans, erected in 2002.
  • The Navajo Code Talkers Memorial, erected in 2013.

Notable interments

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Main category: Burials at Santa Fe National Cemetery

Forrest Fenn, US Air Force pilot and the person behind the Fenn treasure. Hopkins]]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "National Register of Historic Places Program: Weekly List". National Park Service. September 23, 2016. Retrieved January 10, 2017.
  2. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ^ "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2021-06-24. Retrieved 2021-06-17.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. ^ https://www.cem.va.gov/pdf/InterpretiveSigns/SantaFeNationalCemetery.pdf#:~:text=property%20was%20designated%20Santa%20Fe%20National%20Cemetery%20on,the%20government%20moved%20remains%20here%20from%20abandoned%20forts [bare URL PDF]
  5. ^ "Santa Fe National Cemetery - National Cemetery Administration".
  6. ^ "Feds Quietly Dig Up 67 Civil War Graves". CBS News. 9 April 2008. Retrieved 3 Sep 2018.
  7. ^ "200 acres sought for new veterans' cemetery". The Washington Times.
  8. ^ "Services Set For J.B. Jones on Wednesday". Santa Fe New Mexican. United Press. 1947-08-11. p. 1. Retrieved 2022-12-26 – via Newspapers.com.
  9. ^ Simonich, Milan (2012-07-02). "Navajo Code Talker Willeto laid to rest". Texas-New Mexico Newspapers. The Deming Headlight. Archived from the original on 2014-07-14. Retrieved 2012-07-13.
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