 For a time, Fort Selden was the leading candidate for the site of the new post, but because the railroads had brought spectacular growth to the El Paso, Texas area, Fort Bliss, was selected.By 1890, criminals and raiding parties were no longer considered a threat as hostilities eventually lessened and the fort was no longer needed.Like many small forts in the American Southwest, the government decommissioned the fort and it was abandoned for the last time in 1891.