Fort Lyon is an

unincorporated community An unincorporated area is a region that is not governed by a local municipal corporation. Widespread unincorporated communities and areas are a distinguishing feature of the United States and Canada. Most other countries of the world either have ...

and

U.S. Post Office The United States Postal Service (USPS), also known as the Post Office, U.S. Mail, or Postal Service, is an Independent agencies of the United States government, independent agency of the executive branch of the Federal government of the Uni ...

in Bent County,

Colorado Colorado (, other variants) is a state in the Mountain states, Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains, as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the wes ...

, United States. The Fort Lyon Post Office has the ZIP Code 81054. A post office called Fort Lyon was established in 1862. The community was named after

Nathaniel Lyon Nathaniel Lyon (July 14, 1818 – August 10, 1861) was the first Union general to be killed in the American Civil War. He is noted for his actions in Missouri in 1861, at the beginning of the conflict, to forestall secret secessionist plans of th ...

, an officer in the American Civil War.

History

Several

Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...

missions occurred at Fort Lyon, including the 1st New Mexico Volunteer Infantry, Reorganized, the 9th Kansas Cavalry Regiment, and the 15th Infantry Regiment. McLain's Independent Light Artillery Battery was an artillery battery serving in the

Union Army During the American Civil War, the Union Army, also known as the Federal Army and the Northern Army, referring to the United States Army, was the land force that fought to preserve the Union of the collective states. It proved essential to th ...

. The Sand Creek massacre also occurred in the community.

Fort Dodge Fort Dodge is a city in, and the county seat of, Webster County, Iowa, United States, along the Des Moines River. The population was 24,871 in the 2020 census, a decrease from 25,136 in 2000. Fort Dodge is a major commercial center for North Cen ...

was used to maintain order along the Santa Fe Trail between there and

Fort Lyon Fort Lyon was composed of two 19th-century military fort complexes in southeastern Colorado. The initial fort, also called Fort Wise, operated from 1860 to 1867. After a flood in 1866, a new fort was built near Las Animas, Colorado, which opera ...

Galvanized Yankees Galvanized Yankees was a term from the American Civil War denoting former Confederate prisoners of war who swore allegiance to the United States and joined the Union Army. Approximately 5,600 former Confederate soldiers enlisted in the "United St ...

in the 2nd U.S. Volunteer Infantry traveled from

Fort Leavenworth Fort Leavenworth () is a United States Army installation located in Leavenworth County, Kansas, in the city of Leavenworth. Built in 1827, it is the second oldest active United States Army post west of Washington, D.C., and the oldest perma ...

Kansas Kansas () is a state in the Midwestern United States. Its capital is Topeka, and its largest city is Wichita. Kansas is a landlocked state bordered by Nebraska to the north; Missouri to the east; Oklahoma to the south; and Colorado to th ...

, to Fort Lyon. Some German prisoners of war were buried at Fort Lyon and built furniture and worked on local roads. The ghost town of Sheridan, in

Logan County, Kansas Logan County (standard abbreviation: LG) is a county located in the U.S. state of Kansas. As of the 2020 census, the county population was 2,762. The largest city and county seat is Oakley. The county was named for Gen. John A. Logan. One ...

, became a railhead for westbound freight to the Santa Fe Trail on a wagon road to the area.

Geography

Fort Lyon is located at (38.096741,-103.152008).

Climate

According to the

Köppen Climate Classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...

system, Fort Lyon has a

semi-arid climate A semi-arid climate, semi-desert climate, or steppe climate is a dry climate sub-type. It is located on regions that receive precipitation below potential evapotranspiration, but not as low as a desert climate. There are different kinds of sem ...

, abbreviated "BSk" on climate maps.

Notable people

* Eugene Davis, a doctor who managed a Veterans Administration facility in Fort Lyon. *

Farmer Ray Robert Henry "Farmer" Ray (September 17, 1886 – March 11, 1963) was a Major League Baseball pitcher. Ray played for the St. Louis Browns in the 1910 season. In 21 career games, he had a 4–10 record, with a 3.58 ERA. He batted left and threw ...

, former

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

player, was born in Fort Lyon. * Edward W. Wynkoop, a post commander at Fort Lyon. * Samuel F. Tappan, military officer *

Enoch Steen Enoch Steen (February 22, 1800 – January 22, 1880) was a United States military officer and western explorer. He joined the United States Army in 1832, serving at posts throughout the United States, including many remote locations in the w ...

, United States military officer who commanded at Fort Lyon. * Josephine Beatrice Bowman, Navy nurse stationed at Fort Lyon * Walter McCaw, Army surgeon * William Nathaniel Thomas, Navy chaplain who served at the US Public Service Hospital. *

Kit Carson Christopher Houston Carson (December 24, 1809 – May 23, 1868) was an American frontiersman. He was a fur trapper, wilderness guide, Indian agent, and U.S. Army officer. He became a frontier legend in his own lifetime by biographies and ...

, a frontiersman who died at the surgeon's quarters in Fort Lyon. Sides, 2006, pp. 482–483 * Laurice Aldridge Tatum, namesake of the USS Tatum, served at Fort Lyon's Naval Hospital.

References

{{authority control Unincorporated communities in Bent County, Colorado Unincorporated communities in Colorado