Explore the ruins of a fort that helped conquer the West.
During the 19th century, the goal of the United States Government was manifest destiny. As a country, the United States was meant to stretch from coast to coast, and it did, especially after the Mexican American War during the 1840s brought us the Southwest. But there was a problem, the Southwest was not an empty land, it was full of Hispanic settlers and Native Americans. The US Government solved that problem by forcing Native Americans into reservations and stealing their land and that brings us to Fort Bowie.
The dirt road that brings you to Fort Bowie was actually the nicest dirt road I have ever driven on. In fact, it was nicer than most of the roads in Michigan.
Arizona was a late comer to white settlement. It was never even that settled by the Spanish or Mexicans. Someone figured out that the higher altitudes of Arizona were great for grazing cattle. In order to protect the new settlers, soldiers were sent out and built a fort here at the Apache Pass.
To get to the fort ruins, it’s a 1.5 mile hike. It was a very, very windy afternoon but the area sure was pretty.
Such a pretty area.
Fort Bowie National Historic Site is located at the Apache Pass, an important route through the Chiricahua Mountains in the 1800s.
Before Fort Bowie was built, this area was part of the Butterfield Overland Mail route, a stage couch service that went from Memphis or St. Louis to San Francisco between 1858 and 1861. The route basically skirted the southern border of the United States around this area. Interstate-10 actually runs fairly close to the same route today. The service stopped when the Civil War started in 1861.
The ruins of the foundation of a stage coach stop.
Not much left of the trail that the Butterfield Overland Mail route took.
The first soldiers came here in the 1860s when a local ranch was raided by a band of Apaches. The tribe we now refer to as Apaches was actually multiple different smaller tribes with similar customs but often fought amongst themselves. The rancher thought a different band of Apaches, the Chiricahua Apaches and their leader Cochise, targeted him than the ones that actually did. Cochise was captured and then escaped. A permanent fort was built here after another ambush by an Apache group. Fort Bowie was founded to protect a very important water source, a spring.
The site of the first temporary fort here at Apache Pass. Cochise escaped from a tent close to those hills there.
First Fort Bowie was founded in 1862, but was soon replaced by a more permanent fort in 1868 nearby. The fort lasted for 30 years and was an important base for military operations. The famous Geronimo surrendered here, which unfortunately forced the banishment of the Chiricahua Apaches to Florida and Alabama. The fort closed down in 1894 after the west was “won”.
Before the Chiricahuas where banished from the area, there was the Chiricahua Apache Indian Agency, which governed around 900 people. This building once served as the government agent’s office and residence.
A recreation of a Chiricahua thatched wickiups, which they used as their main shelter. The Apaches did not create permanent dwellings until the U.S. Government forced them to.
About a mile and a half down the trail, you can finally see the ruins of Fort Bowie on top of a hill.
Although, the laundresses had their own little home on a different hill nearby.
This is what the fort would have looked like back in 1893, when it was left to ruin. Much of the foundations remain, but the adobe walls have since eroded.
One of the few entirely stone buildings was the Powder Magazine. Considering what they stored in here, the stone makes sense. You can just make this building out on the old photo. It’s in the lower right and has a little cupola on top of the roof.
Like I said, not much remains. This wall would have been part of a long rectangular building. On the left side of the courtyard on the photo. If that makes sense.
These walls are from the fort store, kind of like a commissary with a store, bar, post office, restaurant and a billiard room for the officers. The stone building in the rear would have been the family home. They had great views.
The stone foundations of the very Victorian Commanding Officer’s Quarters. It was a two-story mansion built in 1884 with 13 rooms, including 7 bedrooms.
The Cavalry Barracks where the cavalry officers lived and ate.
This building has the most surviving walls of any of the other adobe buildings.
This being a fort, with a small civilian population living and working in the area, there was a need for a cemetery.
Most of the soldiers were reinterred in San Francisco after the fort was closed. However, some civilians still remain.
Geronimo’s son, Little Robe, was taken into captivity and died at the fort in 1885.
Visiting Fort Bowie required a lot of walking (and dealing with some serious wind gusts) but it was great to find out more about an important part of Arizona history. I’m not usually one for reading about battles and forts but going to the places where important events happened, like Fort Bowie, does truly bring history more alive.
Check out my next update where I return to Death Valley!
or
Check out all my other posts on the great state of Arizona!
