White Sands National Monument
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White Sands National Monument Historic District
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| Nearest city | Alamogordo, New Mexico |
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| Coordinates | 32°46′47″N 106°10′18″W / 32.77972°N 106.17167°WCoordinates: 32°46′47″N 106°10′18″W / 32.77972°N 106.17167°W |
| Area | 143,733 acres (581.67 km2) |
| Built | 1936 |
| Architect | Lyle E. Bennett |
| Architectural style | Pueblo Revival |
| Website | White Sands National Monument |
| NRHP Reference # | 88000751 |
| NMSRCP # | 1491 |
| Significant dates | |
| Added to NRHP | June 23, 1988 |
| Designated NMON | January 18, 1933 |
| Designated NMSRCP | September 9, 1988 |
The White Sands National Monument is a U.S. National Monument located about 16 miles (26 km) southwest of Alamogordo in western Otero County and northeastern Doña Ana County in the state of New Mexico, at an elevation of 4,235 feet (1,291 m). The area is in the mountain-ringed Tularosa Basin and comprises the southern part of a 275 square miles (710 km2) field of white sand dunes composed of gypsum crystals. It is the largest gypsum dune field in the world.
The first exploration was led by a party of US Army officers in 1849. The Mescalero Apache were already living in the area at the time. Hispanic families started farming communities in the area at Tularosa in 1861 and at La Luz in 1863.
Creating a national park in the white sands formation goes back as far as 1898. A group in El Paso had proposed the creation of "Mescalero" National Park. Their idea was for a game hunting preserve, which conflicted with the idea of preservation held by the Department of the Interior, and their plan was not successful. In 1921-1922 Albert Bacon Fall, United States Secretary of the Interior and owner of a large ranch in Three Rivers near White Sands, promoted the idea of a national park there, an "All-Year National Park" that, unlike more northerly parks, would be usable year-round. This idea ran into a number of difficulties and did not succeed. Tom Charles, an Alamogordo insurance agent and civic booster, was influenced by Fall's ideas. By emphasizing the economic benefits, Charles was able to mobilize enough support to have the park created.
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