My name is Juan and the topic I chose was Fort Garland. My classmates will be visiting Fort Garland soon so I wanted to learn more about it. Fort Garland is 150 years old and it was home to the military. It was built in 1858 and was named for Brigadier General John Garland. It is made out of adobe. Fort Garland was home to many different groups of people. There were Anglo soldiers, buffalo soldiers and Hispanic soldiers. Many of the soldiers came from the San Luis Valley, and only some of them lived in the barracks. A barrack is a long building where a lot of people live in one room. The Fort was built because they needed to protect the settlers from Native American attacks. At Fort Garland the soldiers took care of animals and practiced marching. I am proud that my family is Mexican because my ancestors started the town that Fort Garland is in. My name is Juan and I am proud of my ancestors for doing this. It is My Community, My Colorado.