This fort is a large adobe garrison built 18 miles (29.968 km) north of Las Cruces, on the eastern bank of the Rio Grande. It was established in 1865 to protect travelers and traders crossing the Mesilla Valley and remained active for 25 years.

A bustling community of 200 soldiers inhabited this fort in the shadow of the Robledo Mountains, with numerous trees within its grounds. The barracks for the enlisted men were located at the southern end of the parade ground; to the north were the officers' quarters; the only two-story building, housing administrative offices, workshops, a courtroom, and a stone jail, was located to the east; and to the west, a 10-bed hospital with a resident surgeon was constructed. The fort also included kitchens, warehouses, corrals, and a store.

By the mid-1870s, conflicts with Indigenous people had diminished, prompting the U.S. War Department to begin vacating the premises. In 1880, it was reactivated to ensure the safety of railroad workers; the fort was restored, with improvements made to the enlisted men's quarters and billiard tables installed. Finally, it was abandoned in 1891.

Today, a scattered collection of crumbling adobe walls and earthen mounds suggests a series of 15 to 20 buildings that made up the fort, arranged, according to military tradition, in a rectangle around a central parade ground. While some walls over 3 meters high still stand, most of the fort is eroding.