Photos by Mary Alice Murphy
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
From left are Keya, Joe Saenz, Monica, and Joe drumming and singing a military veterans' song
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Joe Saenz sings and drums
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Drumsticks fly in rhythm
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
The raising of the flag to begin the day's ceremony
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
The flag is going up.
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Gil Aguilera blesses the drummers
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Joe Beltran joins the drummers
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Aguilera and Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society President Cecilia Bell chat
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Bill Kupke, in dark blue shirt, leads a tour of Fort Bayard
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Krislynn Golden churns butter
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Marilyn Weaver talks about homemade bread and freshly churned butter
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Prince McKenzie of El Paso, Texas, prepares to talk about the railroads
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Denis and Carol Murati represent the fur-trade years of 1825-1840. They are members of the Gila Trappers.
Fort Bayard 151st Birthday 081917
Doug Dinwiddie talks about a young Fort Bayard lieutenant
The Fort Bayard Historic Preservation Society hosted a party with informational exhibits and talks, including a banquet, on Saturday, Aug. 19, 2017. The event celebrated the 151st birthday party for Fort Bayard, which was founded in 1866 on Aug. 21.
A little after 9:30 a.m., the American flag was raised on the open space across from the fort's former headquarters building.
Apache drummers played a military veterans song on what was once the military Parade Ground, but also was one of the major Apache sites in the region, according to Gil Aguilera.
The Drum was co-ed, with a woman, Monica, taking part. Joe Saenz, the lead drummer and singer, said some drums are co-ed, and he has seen some all all-women ones, too.
At 11 .m., Dr. Doug Dinwiddie gave a talk on a young lieutenant who proposed the names of two Buffalo soldiers for the Medal of Honor, which they received.
Birthday cake and homemade ice cream treated those who attended. A tour was led by Bill Kupke,
That evening, a banquet with food prepared by Los Compas preceded Larry Francell ging a talk portraying and presenting “My Summer Vacation” from the Journal of Robert Grierson. Robert was the son of Colonel Grierson who was commander of Fort Davis, Texas, during the Victorio Campaign.