Fort Lewis

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U.S Army Base, 1880-1891. Named for Lt. Col. William H. Lewis, 19th Infantry, died of wounds sustained in battle with the Northern Cheyenne in Scott County, Kansas, September 27, 1878. Garrisoned by 9th Cavalry, 15th Infantry, 22nd Infantry.
Transferred to Department of the Interior as boarding school for Native Americans, 1892-1910.
Granted to State of Colorado as a public high school; Native American students to be admitted on equal terms with others and with free tuition, 1911-1933. Two-year college coursework begun in 1927.
Operated as two-year college, 1933-1956. Fort Lewis College moved to Durango in 1956.
Operated since 1956 as San Juan Basin Research Center, Colorado Agricultural Experiment Station (part of Colorado State University.