Water, the most precious of resources in the arid West, is the reason this area has such a long and storied history.
Apache Spring is located here due to a geologic fault. The Chiricahua Apaches called this area home because of the spring and the abundant resources of food and shelter nearby. The Butterfield Overland Trail to deliver mail to California had a stop here because of the water. The U.S. Military used the spring, which culminated in a battle between Cochise and California Volunteers on their way to help the Union fight the Confederacy at the start of the Civil War. As a result of the battle Fort Bowie was constructed.
Begin a virtual tour across the landscape of Fort Bowie National Historic Site and learn more about the people, resources, and events that contributed to the history of the United States.
In March of 1854 a survey party led by Lieutenant John Parke of the Corps of Topographical Engineers reached Apache Pass. The survey party was following the 32nd parallel east to find a route for the Southern Pacific Railroad.
They crossed 55 miles through Sulphur Springs Valley, which lacked water, before reaching Apache Pass. They rested in the area for two days while enjoying the spring and the friendly curiosity of the Apaches. Parke described the are as a "small triangular valley with an abundance of grass and wood."
Parke found an easier route for the railroad north of Apache Pass in 1855. The rail line was completed through what became known as Parke's Railroad Pass in 1880.
In January 1861 a band of Apaches raided the ranch of John Ward. The raiding party stole livestock and kidnapped the son of a Mexican woman who lived with John Ward. Ward believed Cochise was responsible for the raid and demanded the military confront the Apache leader to recover the boy and livestock.
On February 3rd, 1861, 2nd Lieutenant George Bascom, a young graduate of West Point, brought a detachment of 54 men to this site to confront Cochise regarding the kidnapping of the boy and livestock. Cochise was the leader of the Chiricahua Apache, who were believed to be the ones who conducted the kidnapped. However, the Chiricahua Apaches and Cochise were innocent of this crime. Instead, it was most likely the work of Coyotero or White Mountain Apaches that merely crossed the country of the Chiricahua Apache.
Bascom accused Cochise of the kidnapping he and his people did not commit. Bascom had Cochise, his brother, two nephews, a woman, and two children arrested until the return of the boy and livestock. Insulted and infuriated, Cochise escaped the trap.
Sixteen days of fighting bloodied the hills of Apache Pass. Eleven years of hate resulted from this fighting in which both sides executed captives out of vengeance. In 1872, President Ulysses S. Grant sent General Oliver O. Howard, a peace emissary, to meet with army scout Thomas Jeffords and Cochise. All three cooperated in the forging of peace.
In July 1858, the Apache Pass Stage Station was built to provide the stage a change of mules, a moment of rest, and a simple meal - bread, coffee, meat, and beans - that cost 50 cents. The stone station itself consisted of a kitchen-dining room, sleeping rooms, a storage room for weapons and feed, and a mule corral with portholes in every stall. Butterfield had Celerity wagons specially designed for this section of the route since the lighter, smaller wagons could negotiate the rugged, arid landscape easier then the larger, heavier Concord coaches.
For two and a half years the Chiricahua Apaches allowed safe passage though Apache Pass, and even provided firewood in exchange for gifts. However, that changed with the Bascom Affair. During the affair, the station provided refuge to soldiers, Butterfield employees, and passengers. In March 1861, the Butterfield Overland Mail route was discontinued as a result of the Bascom Affair and the Civil War.
In 1857, John Butterfield and his associates were awarded the government contract to carry U.S. mail by stagecoach between Missouri and California. The contract was worth $600,000 per year. The route was inaugurated on September 15, 1858 during which John Butterfield exclaimed, "Remember, boys, nothing on God's earth must stop the United States mail!" It took 24 days to cover the 2,800 miles of the route.
Butterfield's Overland Mail Company began operation with 2,000 employees, over 250 coaches and several hundred wagons, 1,800 horses and mules, and 240 stage stations, one of which was the Apache Pass Stage Station. During the three-year history of the route, it was only attacked by Apaches once and was late in reaching the end of the line only three times. Passengers could ride the route for $100 at the beginning of the route, which was increased later to $200.
The route was discontinued in March 1861 due to the Civil War and the fighting that was a result of the Bascom Affair.
In 1884 there were 61 graves here, 33 being military personnel. The adobe wall that surrounding the cemetery in 1884 was replaced by a picket fence by 1886. The number of graves rose to 70, then finally to 105 by the time Fort Bowie was abandoned. Many of the epitaphs on the grave markers read, "Unknown. Killed by Indians."
In 1895 the remains of soldiers buried in the cemetery were removed and reinterred in the National Cemetery at San Francisco. There are still around 25 civilian graves at the cemetery.
One visitor to the fort in 1878 wrote, "Knowing that persons now living have friends buried there, it may be a source of consolation to them to know that the graves of their departed friends at Camp Bowie are marked with slabs and that green grass grows upon every mound."
U.S. Indian Agent Thomas Jeffords governed around 900 Chiricahua Apaches from 1875 to 1876 from this building. Originally built in 1869 by the Apache Pass Mining Company, this was the fourth home for the Chiricahua Apache Agency headquarters. Cochise, the Chiricahua Chieftain and friend of Jeffords, died in 1874. This left the Chiricahua Apaches divided in leadership and conduct. By June 1876, Jeffords was dismissed in a move to concentrate the Chiricahua Agency and the 325 Apaches that remained were moved to the San Carlos Reservation. During the time the Agency was active there was an agent, a clerk, two laborers, and a physician from the fort.
On July 15, 1862, Captain Thomas Robert led an advance guard of 88 California Volunteers into Apache Pass. They were en route to New Mexico to aid the Union troops that were battling Confederate forces. Cochise, his ally Mangas Coloradas, and a combined force of 140 to 160 warriors ambushed the advance guard. The California Volunteers won the battle after the two howitzers sent shells bursting against the rock formations around Apache Spring, which forced the Apaches to retreat. Because of this battle, Brigadier General James Carleton, the commander of the column, had the first Fort Bowie founded to protect his supply lines that went through Apache Pass.
"Immediately commanding the springs are two hills, both high and difficult of ascent. On these heights the Apaches had built crude but efficient breastworks by piling rocks one upon the other… From these fortifications they kept up a rapid and scathing fire, which could not be returned with effect by musketry from three to four hundred feet below. The howitzers were got into position… the exact range was obtained and shell after shell hurled upon the hills, bursting just as they should…. The hillsides were covered with fleeing Apaches, who seemed imbued with supernatural powers of locomotion. Upward they sped with the celerity of Alpine goats, until they disappeared behind the crests of tall mountains and rugged hills. In peace and quiet we partook of the precious fountain."
This area was the homeland of the Chiricahua (Cheer i cow a) Apaches. The camps, constructed and maintained by the women, were not permanent. Dwindling food supplies, discovery by enemies, seasonal changes, and military pressures all caused the Apaches to move frequently. There was an abundance of wild game, edible plants, and materials for making shelters, tools, and weapons in the area of Apache Pass. In addition, Apache Spring provided a reliable water supply.
Camp life centered around the wife's extended family. At marriage, the husband entered into the family and took responsibility for supporting his wife's relatives. Men performed hunting and raiding duties. Women harvested and prepared the wild food crops. Food was shared among the communal camp, with any surplus hidden away in caches for leaner times.
Camps usually consisted of several thatched wickiups clustered together and hidden for safety. A simple pole framework covered with beargrass and animal hides provided a comfortable shelter. With the arrival of hot summer days, home life shifted to the cool open shade of the nearby ramada.
Agave or mescal, provided the primary food staple. The crowns were gathered, ceremonially roasted in large pit ovens, then eaten fresh or dried for later use. Yucca fruits and stalks were also eaten. The leaf fibers provided rope and roots, and when pounded produced a soap-like substance. Acorns, mesquite beans, walnuts, piñon nuts and other seeds were collected. They were eaten raw, dried and ground into flour, or fermented to make drinks. A variety of root-stocks and greens were harvested. Wild berries, grapes and cactus fruits were also gathered in baskets woven from willow and cottonwood twigs. When covered with pine pitch, these baskets served as water jars.
An Apache hunter chose the straight stalk of a sotol for his lance. A strong bow was fashioned from the branch of a mulberry tree, the sinew of a deer's leg formed the bow string and a light reed provided the arrow. Deer was the principal game animal. Pronghorn, mountain lion, wood rat, squirrel and rabbit were also hunted. Horses, mules and cattle taken in raids supplemented the Apaches' diet.
Apache Spring has a long history of use. Pottery fragments found nearby suggest prehistoric Mogollon Indians used the spring before the Apache arrived in the late 1600s. Journals of early Spanish explorers describe Apache trails radiating from the spring.
Apache Spring was pivotal to many of the historical events that took place here: the Butterfield Overland Trial was constructed through Apache Pass simply to take advantage of the precious spring water, the conflict between Cochise and the California Volunteers was from a dispute over the spring water, and Fort Bowie may never have been built here.
The construction of the first Fort Bowie was begun on July 28, 1862 by a 100-man detachment of the 5th California Volunteer Infantry. This first fort was finished two and a half weeks later. The fort consisted of a 4-foot high stone wall 412-feet long that surrounded tents and a stone guard house. The fort was named Fort Bowie after the commander of the 5th Infantry, Colonel George Washington Bowie.
Major T.A. Coult supervised the construction of the first fort and became it's first commander. During the six-year history of this first Fort Bowie, sporadic patrols ordered by General Carleton pursued the elusive Apaches with little success. While the Apaches no longer controlled Apache Spring, they continued to raid and kill travelers not escorted by the military.
Life in the first fort was quite undesirable. Isolation, bad food, sickness, crude quarters, and the constant threat of the Apaches led to low morale and frequent troop rotation. In 1866, regular soldiers of the 14th U.S. Infantry relieved the California Volunteers. Two years later, in 1868, construction began on the second Fort Bowie on a spacious plateau to the east.
"... to attack the Apaches whenever he finds them near his post, to escort all trains and couriers through the pass and well out into the mesa, and to take the liberty of sending out detachments strong enough to give protection to soldiers and killing when he deems it wise to do so."
In 1876, the Chiricahua people were taken to the San Carlos Reservation. Because they could not accept all the restrictions on the reservation, Geronimo and other Chiricahua leaders escaped. This began a 10-year career of raiding, which is known as the Geronimo War.
During the war, Fort Bowie was a combat hub for military operations against the Chiricahuas. The post even reached a population of 304 men during this time when the usual strength of the post was about 150 men. It wasn't until the Chiricahua surrendered in September 1886 that Fort Bowie settled down to enjoy some of the amenities of life.
Because there were no more Indians to fight, people at Fort Bowie had increased leisure, recreation, and training time. It wasn't unusual to see the men drinking beer, smoking, playing sports, dancing, and just enjoying life. Also, several buildings and other amenities went up. For example, officers' row was graced with kerosene street lamps, cottonwood trees, and a tennis court!
The Second Fort Bowie had corrals and stables, a quartermaster storehouse, a post trader (sutler's store), a school, an adjutant's office, infantry barracks, officers' row, a commanding officer's quarters, a new hospital and Stewards' Quarters, a tailor shop, cavalry barracks, and mess halls and kitchens.
Companies were assigned their own corrals and stables. Each company was responsible for caring for the mounts, polishing the saddle gear and cleaning their own stables. Blacksmiths could also help with these duties. The blacksmiths were either soldiers or civilian employees. Civilian blacksmiths were more of an asset because they were more competent and they were able to work longer hours. The soldiers worked less because they had to split blacksmithing with other duties.
The saddler and the farrier were two important men at the stables. The saddler maintained the leather equipment such as saddles, bridles, harnesses, packs, and gun slings. The farrier was a horse-shoer and a veterinarian. He treated some animals for bruises and illnesses and nursed others back into health.
The quartermaster's storehouse was one of the busiest places at the fort. From the storehouse, the quartermaster, along with his sergeant and clerk, would work hard to provide supplies, construction and maintenance for buildings, contracts for forage and firewood, and all forms of transportation.
Soldiers drew their army equipment and clothing at the storehouse, and they also received orders to work on post construction projects under the quartermaster's supervision. Even civilian employees such as teamsters, carpenters, blacksmiths, and masons were hired by the quartermaster.
The post trader store was like a modern day PX. Soldiers could buy all items that were not provided by the army. They bought toiletries, sewing supplies, tobacco, medicine, fresh foods, and much more.
At first most military sutlers were generally regarded to be short-tempered and even crooked. But in 1867, after a military reform, the reputation of the sutlers improved. They became more responsible and more respected. Sidney DeLong had a great influence on this newfound respect. He was Fort Bowie's trader: a true gentleman, the fort's ranking civilian, and a territorial leader.
Some of the store's rooms were used as a place of refuge for the officers and soldiers. The officers played cards and billiards and drank in the southern rooms while the enlisted men drank beer and relaxed in the northern rooms.
Every post was required to have a schoolhouse, which was not only used for education, but was also used as a courtmartial room, a library, and a chapel. In addition, the teacher had to be a qualified soldier or civilian employee. Soldiers were paid 35 cents a day to teach, but they still had to stand guard duty.
The adjutant's office was the command center of the post. In this building the soldiers did everything from filing records and compiling reports to answering correspondence. The office even served as the nerve center of a 500-mile heliograph system during the Geronimo War. The system sent and received important messages as it flashed Morse Code by bouncing the sun's rays along a chain of tripod-mounted "talking" mirrors, usually located on high peaks. There is a modern heliograph on display in the visitor center at Fort Bowie.
The enlisted infantrymen were housed in the infantry barracks. The barracks had little privacy. There was a main room where the privates and corporals bunked together, and there were small adjoining rooms where the sergeants slept. Each man had a wooden cot with a bed sack, a shelf above his cot for his personal belongings, and a wooden footlocker at the foot of the cot. Other supplies, such as rifles, were stored in the barrack as well.
Fortunately, the barracks were heated by fireplaces and later by cast-iron stoves. There was also light from kerosene lamps or candles. Another convenience for the soldiers was that the kitchen and the mess halls were located directly behind the barracks.
Officers' row was the location of the five officers' quarters. The officers were placed in the quarters according to rank and seniority. Although all of the quarters had a kitchen, a sink, and a washroom, the higher ranking officers received more rooms, stoves, and firewood.
If an officer was married, his family shared his allowance. This created competition among the wives to change their quarters into comfortable eastern homes. But unfortunately, just as the women started feeling at home in their quarters, a new officer would arrive. The officers and their families were then shifted to other quarters according to rank.
In all of Fort Bowie, the most beautiful structure was the Commanding Officer's Quarters. It was a 2-story house, with 13 rooms, including a sewing room, a drawing room, a dining room, and seven bedrooms. It was built for $4,000 in 1884-1885. Some of the pretentious features of the house were a skylight, two verandas, and two exterior wings covered with fancy shingles in alternating colored bands.
The first occupant, Major Eugene Beaumont complained of the unnecessary ornamentation. He thought that it was a waste of time and money. Nevertheless, two of his daughters were married to Fort Bowie officers in the beautiful house.
Because the army Quartermaster Department frequently issued uniforms that were inconsistent in size, cut, and cloth quality, the army permitted each company to enlist a tailor. The tailor did not have any other routine duties, so he was able to focus only on altering uniforms for the soldiers.
The tailor was allowed to charge the soldiers whatever he deemed appropriate. He often charged the equivalent of the original government cost for the garment. Sometimes this angered the soldiers who labeled tailors as the "pests of the service" who were more likely to mutilate the uniforms than to improve them. However, the soldiers learned to tolerate the tailors because they realized that the tailors provided a necessary service.
One of the first structures built at the fort was the cavalry barracks. At first, it was just a massive adobe structure, but by the mid-1880s it had a shingled and pitched roof, attractive porches, and landscaping.
The barracks were located near the kitchen and the mess hall.
Cooks had a difficult time obtaining fresh food at the fort. The soil was poor at the fort for local gardens, and there was a great distance to other sources of fresh food. Nevertheless, the cooks, who were just randomly picked from the ranks, did their best to provide palatable food. Most of the food was a boiled soup, which was made from sun-dried, pressed cakes called "desiccated vegetables. They also used a great deal of canned food for taste variety and less risk of food poisoning.
The mess halls provided long benches and bare wooden tables for the enlisted men to eat at. They ate by-the-company using tin and iron utensils, or by the late eighties, white, ironstone tableware.
From this point, Tucson photographer Alther Feldman captured one of the last and most comprehensive photographs ever taken of the post. This historic photograph portrays Fort Bowie at the peak of its most refined period.
Further along the trail over Overlook Ridge is the geologic fault described by G.K. Gilbert that is the reason for Apache Spring's existence, as well as an overlook of Siphon Canyon.
Now that you know a little bit about the history and resources of Fort Bowie National Historic Site, take a few moments to learn about the natural resources that exist at the park today. They were the reason all of the historical event occurred here, making them a key part to understanding the story of Fort Bowie National Historic Site.
The reason Apache Spring exists is because of a geologic fault. In 1873 geologist G. K. Gilbert discovered and published his description of the thin, yet important line found on the ridge north of Apache Spring. He named it the Apache Pass Fault, since a fault is a fracture in Earth's crust along which a slippage of rock layers has occurred.
One side of the fault is granite, an igneous rock that cooled slowly deep in Earth. The soil that has developed from granitic-influenced parent material supports beargrass. The soil that developed in limestone-influenced parent material supports different plants, including yucca and ocotillo. The fault reaches the surface at Apache Spring, allowing water to seep out of the ground.
The Yarbam series consists of very shallow, well drained soils that formed in slope alluvium, colluvium and residuum from calcareous sedimentary rock that includes limestone, marble, and calcareous sandstone
Landform: Hills and mountains
Position on the landform: Shoulders and side slopes
Slope range: 35 to 55 percent
Elevation: 4,620 to 5,250 feet
Mean annual precipitation: 16 to 20 inches
Parent material: residuum and colluvium derived from limestone
A - 0 to 7 inches; grayish brown very gravelly sandy loam; 35 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles, pH 8.2
C - 7 to 17 inches; grayish brown very gravelly gravelly loam; 40 percent gravel, 5 percent cobbles
R - 17 inches; hard limestone bedrock
Present vegetation: Black grama, slim tridens, blue threeawn, southwestern stipa, false mesquite, ocotillo, yucca.
Ecological site: Limestone Hills, 16-20” p.z. (041XA103AZ)
Apache Pass is an ecological transition zone between the Chihuahuan Desert to the east and the Sonoran Desert to the west. Chihuahuan Desert grasses and shrubs dominate the hills of Apache Pass due to the present soil types, moisture content, and temperature regimes. The Sonoran Desert is hotter and drier, and as a result has fewer plants.
There are other vegetation communities in Apache Pass, such as oak woodlands and juniper-pinyon on higher slopes, and riparian woodlands along the sandy washes of the valley. These vegetation communities vary in direct relationship to the 7 different soil types found in the area. Fifty-seven mammal species, over one hundred fifty bird species, and thirty-one reptile and amphibian species grace this area with their presence.