Soldiers' Monument
.jpg?width=480)
.jpg?width=480)
Soldiers' Monument is a historic site in New Mexico, at a modelled elevation of 2,131 m. Santa Fe Baldy stands 3,847 m to the northeast, 14 miles off. The nearest named place is The Santa Fe Plaza, a park less than a tenth of a mile away. Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway runs past it.
survey new height, confirm former height
The story
The Soldiers' Monument is a cenotaph at the center of the Santa Fe Plaza, a monument collectively memorializing deaths in several specified military battles. Erected in 1867 in the aftermath of the American Civil War, it consisted of a 33 feet (10 m) stone obelisk atop a plinth; only the plinth stands currently, and exhibits some damage. During the late nineteenth century, the monument was used as a place for Union veterans to gather at annual Memorial Day events to decorate the cenotaph and hear brief presentations. The square plinth includes four inscribed panels, three of which dedicate the monument to unnamed Union Army soldiers who died on the battlefields of New Mexico Territory in the American Civil War. The fourth panel on the monument commemorates US soldiers who died "in the various battles with savage Indians", referring to the Army's then-ongoing campaigns comprising the American Indian Wars § West of the Mississippi (1804–1924). The word "savage" was chiseled-off by an anonymous person in 1974. On October 12 (Indigenous People's Day) in 2020, the obelisk portion of the monument was toppled by protestors. After the subsequent erection of concrete-board walls around the remains by city government, the public was unable to access the monument and it was obscured from public view, a decision defended as a preservation measure. This state lasted for over four years until the resolution of a lawsuit concerning the fate of the memorial led to the removal of the covering in January 2025.
From Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Dates from 1860s.
Wikidata Q74469780, referenced by the OpenStreetMap record.
What the record says
- Built
- 1867+-1
- Material
- stone;concrete
- Inscription
- Yes
How to reach it
- On the Santa Fe National Forest Scenic Byway
- On the Santa Fe Trail, National
- On the El Camino Real, National
- 3.4 mi off the Historic Route 66, National
Overlooks nearby
- Cross of the Martyrs Hill · 1 mi
- Gronquist Arroyo Overlook · 2 mi
- Aspen Vista Picnic Site · 9 mi
- Vista Grande Overlook · 10 mi
Named places within 25 miles
- The Santa Fe Plaza: 0.0 mi
- Cathedral Park: 0.1 mi
- Thomas Macaione Park: 0.3 mi
- De Vargas Park: 0.3 mi
- Historic Fort Marcy Park: 0.4 mi
- Don Diego de Vargas Zapata Luján Ponce de León, El Marques de la Nava de Barcinas: 0.0 mi
- Mountain Fountain: 0.1 mi
- Fray Angelico Chavez: 0.1 mi
- Saint Francis of Assisi: 0.1 mi
- Saint Kateri Tekakwitha: 0.1 mi
- Palace of the Governors: 0.0 mi
- April 1863 Survey Marker: 0.0 mi
- Aug 9 1837 Governor Perez: 0.0 mi
- Sidewalk Plaques: 0.1 mi
- US Army Check-in for the Manhattan Project: 0.1 mi
- Sally's Hill: 1.6 mi
- Cerro Gordo: 1.8 mi
- Sun Mountain: 2.4 mi
- Talaya Hill: 2.6 mi
- Tano Point: 2.8 mi
- The Palace Press: 0.0 mi
- New Mexico History Museum: 0.1 mi
- Museum of Light: 0.1 mi
- Loretto Chapel: 0.1 mi
- Georgia O'Keeffe Museum: 0.2 mi
- Allison Dormitory Historic Site: 0.3 mi
- Atchison Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Depot Locomotive 5030: 1.4 mi
- Aspen: 1.4 mi
- Clark Exploration Place: 1.6 mi
- López Horno Plaza: 1.6 mi
- Railyard Community Garden: 0.9 mi
- Santa Fe Botanical Garden: 1.6 mi
- Xeric Garden: 1.7 mi
- Goede Orchard Garden: 1.7 mi
- Roland Meadow Garden: 1.7 mi
- Litte Tesuque Picnic Ground: 6.1 mi
- Aspen Vista Picnic ground: 9.5 mi
- Windy Bridge Picnic Ground: 14.1 mi
- Rainy Day Picnic Ground: 14.1 mi
- Dalton Picnic Area: 14.5 mi
- Alamosa Spring: 15.0 mi
- Soda Springs: 15.9 mi
- Pajarito Springs: 16.6 mi
- Ancho Spring: 17.3 mi
- Cienega Redonda Spring: 18.0 mi
- New Mexico Land Conservancy: 6.4 mi
- Eldorado's Community Preserve: 10.7 mi
- Bishop John Lamy Grant: 11.9 mi
- Galisteo Basin Preserve: 16.0 mi
- Santa Fe Conservation Trust: 17.1 mi
- Hyde Park Falls: 6.9 mi
- Rio en Medio Falls: 10.0 mi
- Lower Frijoles Falls: 18.7 mi
- Upper Frijoles Falls: 18.8 mi
- Bonanza City: 13.4 mi
- Buckman: 16.2 mi
- Waldo: 20.3 mi
- Las Ruedas: 20.9 mi
- Water Canyon pour-off: 16.4 mi
- Garden of the Gods: 18.6 mi
- Devils Throne: 19.9 mi
- La Bajada Rest Area: 16.5 mi
Summits around it
The highest named summits within 18.4 miles of Soldiers' Monument. Elevation from each summit’s own record; bearing measured between the two coordinates.
| Summit | Bearing | Elevation | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Santa Fe Baldy | NE 45° | 3,847 m | 14.2 mi |
| Lake Peak | NE 51° | 3,771 m | 12.0 mi |
| Redondo Peak | NE 42° | 3,766 m | 16.2 mi |
| Penitente Peak | NE 53° | 3,720 m | 12.3 mi |
| Tesuque Peak | NE 52° | 3,656 m | 11.1 mi |
| Aspen Peak | NE 43° | 3,384 m | 10.8 mi |
| Rosilla Peak | E 80° | 3,231 m | 17.8 mi |
| Thompson Peak | E 98° | 3,215 m | 7.5 mi |
When to go
Light through the year
| Date | Sunrise | Golden hour | Sunset |
|---|---|---|---|
| March equinox | 07:08 | 18:42 | 19:16 |
| June solstice | 05:49 | 19:46 | 20:24 |
| September equinox | 06:52 | 18:28 | 19:02 |
| December solstice | 07:11 | 16:15 | 16:55 |
Local time (America/Denver).
Climate normals
Months averaging 50–80 °F: May–Oct.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Avg °F | 30 | 35 | 42 | 48 | 57 | 67 | 71 | 69 | 62 | 51 | 39 | 30 |
| Precip in | 0.6 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 0.6 | 0.9 | 0.9 | 2.3 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.8 |
1991–2020 U.S. Climate Normals, NOAA NCEI — Santa FE 2, 5 mi away.
Where this comes from
Location and category confirmed against OpenStreetMap.
OpenStreetMapWikipediaWikidataOpenStreetMap element way/473220811
Day trips start here
Take the scenic way to Soldiers' Monument.
Byway plans around your taste, verified places, real weather and opening hours — then opens every leg in Google Maps with one tap.