Fort Bowie
Fort Bowie National Historic Site is a United States National Historic Site located near Apache Pass in southeastern Arizona. The historic site was established in 1972 to commemorate the bitter conflict between the Chiricahua Apaches and the United States military and to preserve the ruins of Fort Bowie.
Two engagements between the U.S. Military and the Chiricahua Apaches led to the
construction of Fort Bowie in 1862. The first engagement, known as the Bascom
Affair, took place in January 1861 when a band of Apaches raided the ranch of
John Ward. Ward mistakenly believed that Cochise and the Chiricahua Apaches were
responsible for the raid and demanded that the military take action against
Cochise to recover property stolen during the raid. The next month, the army
responded to Ward's request by sending Lt. George Bascom and 54 men to Apache
Pass to confront Cochise. Bascom managed to capture Cochise and threatened to
hold him hostage until Ward's property was returned but the Apache leader
managed to escape. Sporadic fighting between Cochise's warriors and Army troops
would continue for years to come.
The second major engagement was the Battle of Apache Pass, fought July 15 - July
16, 1862. A Union regiment under Brigadier General James Henry Carleton was
ambushed by a band of Apaches while en route from California to New Mexico where
they were to confront Confederate troops. This battle led to the eventual
establishment of Fort Bowie in order to protect Apache Pass and an important
source of water, Apache Spring. Construction on the first Fort Bowie began in
1862 but this resembled more of a temporary camp than a permanent military fort.
In 1868, a second, more substantial Fort Bowie was built on a plateau about 300
yards to the southeast. For more than 30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were
the focal point of military operations eventually culminating in the surrender
of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and
Alabama. The fort was abandoned in 1894.
The Fort Bowie and Apache Pass site was declared a National Historic Landmark in
1960.
The remains of Fort Bowie are carefully preserved, as are the adobe walls of
various post buildings and the ruins of a Butterfield Stage Station. The site is
located on the unpaved Apache Pass Road which can be accessed from Interstate 10
near Bowie, Arizona or from Arizona Highway 186 just north of the entrance to
Chiricahua National Monument. Access to the ruins of Fort Bowie and the visitor
center is via a 1.5 mile (2.4 kilometer) foot trail which begins at a parking
area along Apache Pass Road.
Text from Wikipedia
site of the Bascom Affair
Bascom/Cochise Meeting Site
site of the Chiricahua Apache Indian Agency
Apache Camp
Apache Spring
Fort Bowie
ruins of Fort Bowie
Monument Visitors Center
painting of Cochise
said to be done from a now non-existing photograph