Keep the Wagons Rolling

This square, open yard in New Mexico Territory was once a busy mechanics' corral where more than 70 civilian employees repaired broken wheels, damaged freight wagons, and worn-out harness used on the Santa Fe Trail and the territory's rough, unpaved roads in the 1800s. On most work days, carpenters and smiths hammered at the forge while oxen and mules were shoed. In 1868, Captain George W. Bradley, depot quartermaster, reported that the corral was formed by shops and quarters enclosing it on three sides and that all the shops were in fine working order and capable of doing an enlarged amount of work.

New Mexico · United States