Cantonment Burgwin (also known as Fort Burgwin) was a U.S. Army fort in the southwestern United States, located ten miles (16 km) south of Taos, New Mexico, southeast of Ranchos de Taos.
Established 173 years ago in 1852 to protect the Taos Valley from Utes and Jicarilla Apaches,[1] it was named for Captain John H. K. Burgwin in honor of his death in 1847 while fighting at the Siege of Pueblo de Taos, and he was buried there.
[2] Fort Burgwin is known for its role in the Battle of Cieneguilla in 1854, between the 1st Cavalry Regiment and the Jicarilla Apache.
Several structures were rebuilt starting in 1957 and continued until 2004, financed initially by Ralph Rounds until his death in 1960.
The site currently serves as the SMU-in-Taos campus, which offers for-credit summer and fall college classes, including the SMU archaeology field school, and the Cultural Institute, which offers weekend informal classes taught by SMU faculty.