Fort Lyon (2)

 (1868-1889) - First established in 1868 as a U.S. Army post by Captain William H. Penrose, 3rd U.S. Infantry, in Bent County, Colorado. Named after Brigadier General Nathaniel Lyon, who was the first Union General killed in the U.S. Civil War, 10 Aug 1861, in the Battle of Wilson's Creek. This post was abandoned in 1889.

History
Established in 1868 by Captain William H. Penrose, 3rd U.S. Infantry, in Bent County, Colorado.

Built as a large, open, sandstone post near the Arkansas River to replace the first Fort Lyon which was in danger of being flooded out. The new Fort Lyon (2) was located about 20 miles upstream from the old post.

The famed frontiersman, guide and military officer, Kit Carson died on this post 23 May 1868. His body was buried in the post cemetery with full military honors and later interred at Taos, New Mexico.

The post abandoned by the U.S. Army in October 1889 and transferred to the Interior Department 20 Jan 1890. The post was used as a U.S. Navy Hospital between 1906 and 1921 and as a veterans hospital between 1921 and 2002. In March 2002 Fort Lyon officially became the property of the Colorado Department of Corrections.

Current Status
Part of the Colorado Department of Corrections, Fort Lyons Correctional Facility, Bent County, Colorado. No public access. Public access available to the adjacent Fort Lyon National Cemetery and the Kit Carson Chapel at the entrance. The Kit Carson Chapel is located just inside the old entrance of the post, it was constructed from the stones of the surgeons' quarters where he died. The chapel building is viewable by the public but was locked at the time of our visit.

Sources:
 * , page 109-110
 * , page 44

Links:
 * North American Forts - Fort Lyon (2)
 * Fort Lyon Correctional Facility