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Sierra Vista, AZ
It’s cooler than you think!™
Cool History
Welcome to Sierra Vista Arizona
Welcome to The Sierra Vista and Historic Fort Huachuca Cool History brochure and prepare to enjoy more history per
square mile than you can find in most places in the United States.
You will find that our history is that which you’ve read about, play-acted as a child, and thrilled to in the cool darkness of
your hometown theaters. It encompasses the famous like Wyatt Earp, Cochise and Geronimo, Fort Huachuca’s Buffalo
Soldiers and the Conquistadors. More than likely, you’ll be surprised that Southeastern Arizona is at the heart—the
core—of so much you learned years ago.
You’ll learn about our deeply rooted history whose cultural diversity was forged at the crossroads of eras. It is a
multifaceted and sometimes haphazardly woven tapestry that pre-dates the Spaniards and their fruitless search
for gold.
It pre-dates the Native Americans living a hardscrabble life on the edge of subsistence on a mesa, who the Spaniards
found instead of the fabled cities of gold. It harkens back to a time primeval, when mammoths trumpeted greetings
across richly forested lands, fast flowing rivers, and basins thick with plants now long gone.
This history of Western tradition from which legends and lore have sprung, today inspires the cultural phenomenon we
call, being an American.
You can drive, tour, hike and touch the past. It is so highly accessible, you can virtually relive it by just standing in the
right place.
You will understand how fierce and determined men and women had the courage to live in a land made inhospitable by its
very nature. Whether they called themselves Spaniards, Buffalo Soldiers, Chiricahua Apache, Mexican revolutionaries,
or dance hall girls, they were the history that echoes between our mountains and canyons.
Please stop by our Visitor Center at 3020 E. Tacoma Street, Sierra Vista, AZ 85635 or call toll free at (800) 288-3861
or locally at (520) 417-6960.
A History of Unrest - Cochise, Geronimo &
The Buffalo Soldiers
As you travel around Sierra Vista, the San Pedro Valley, and beyond the Huachuca Mountain range, you will find
it easy to imagine the role this rugged terrain and wilderness in our picturesque corner of Arizona played during
the 1800s.
The scenic lookout points, majestic sky islands with mountainous nooks and crannies, and the harsh valley terrain
created a formidable challenge to U.S. military defense. The ample escape routes and concealment opportunities that
were taken full advantage of by the nimble and highly mobile Apache proved equally frustrating.
Settlers and soldiers first learned about the Apache from the Zuni of New Mexico. In their language, the word, apache,
meant enemy. And formidable enemies they were, managing to spread their reign of influence over an area nearly the
size of Illinois, while more often than not, wildly outnumbered by their pursuers.
The complete history of Southeastern Arizona, with its nearly endless cast of characters and colorful adventures, awaits
you in our museums, and during anecdotal conversation with our locals.
But here, as an overview, are some chapters on Cochise, Geronimo and the Fort Huachuca Buffalo Soldiers.
Cochise
Cochise was the leader of the Chokonen, or “rising sun” people, who lived in the sprawling territory that ran from Sierra
Vista’s San Pedro River Valley east into New Mexico and south of the Mexican border.
Born around 1810, most likely in southeastern Arizona, Cochise, as a young adult, began conducting what became
famous raids into Mexico, largely ignoring his American neighbors.
It all changed one day in 1861, when under a flag of truce, he voluntarily came to see Lt. George Bascom; the young
officer took him prisoner by surprise. As the tale is told, Cochise supposedly escaped with three bullets in him. What is
known for certain is that from that day on, he waged an incessant campaign against the local settlers and military.
He was somewhat partial to raiding stagecoaches. After all, the Butterfield Stage Line between Fort Bowie and Tucson
ran conveniently off the northern end of his stronghold, the Dragoon Mountains. Over a 16-month period alone, 22
stagecoach drivers were killed by Cochise’s warriors.
When Cochise finally surrendered in 1872, he secured a reservation for the Chiricahua Apache inside their ancestral
homeland, with horses, cows, farming tools and rations of food for his people, and a ranch for himself. There he was
good to his word, keeping the peace until passing away on June 8, 1874. The Chokonen entombed their leader in the
heart of his beloved stronghold - in a location that to this day remains a mystery.
Unfortunately, within three years of his death, in 1877, many of the Chiricahua Apache bands reneged on the peace and
once again took to raising havoc across southern Arizona and the border of Mexico.
Cochise Stronghold is popular with hikers and campers. And those whose imaginations create images of what the
canyons saw one hundred and fifty years ago.
Geronimo
Geronimo, an Apache shaman, came into his own as a leader just after the passing of Cochise.
The most memorable chapters of his career began in 1881 when, angered by the botched arrest of a White Mountain
Apache medicine man at the San Carlos reservation, Geronimo and several others escaped. Geronimo’s Chiricahua
Apache took to raiding wagon trains and other vulnerable targets, then making a getaway as far away as the lofty Sierra
Madres in Mexico, or as close as the Huachuca and Mule Mountains.
Finally in 1882, General George Crook forged an agreement with all Apache parties, and a shaky peace fell over the
reservation.
But once again on May 17, 1885, Geronimo and several other leaders, tiring of their restricted life, fled the San Carlos
Reservation. Their party consisted of 35 adult males, 8 fighting-age juveniles and 101 women and children. Over the
next several months, they were pursued by nearly 5,000 U.S. troops.
Ultimately, Geronimo limited his party’s losses to only six men, two boys, two women and one child in the resultant
skirmishes. He and his Apache were credited with the deaths of 75 U.S. citizens, 12 White Mountain Apache, two
officers and eight soldiers of the regular army, and an indeterminate number of Mexicans.
But the warring life in Southeast Arizona took its toll on one and all, and in the fall of 1886, after being cornered in a
natural mountain “fortress,” Geronimo surrendered for the last time. He, members of his family and his warriors were sent
to Florida and later to Fort Sill, Oklahoma, to begin what would become many years of captivity until his death in 1909.
Despite a plea to President Theodore Roosevelt, Geronimo was never allowed to return to his homeland in Arizona.
Today, the stories of Cochise and Geronimo are still alive and continue to captivate tourists from around the world.
On Route 80, northeast of Douglas, Arizona, stands the Geronimo Monument. This stone monument is a reminder of
Geronimo’s tenacity in attempting to preserve his land and culture amid ever-changing landscapes. His surrender site,
Skeleton Canyon, is nearby.
Fort Huachuca - Yesterday and Today
Fort Huachuca was established in 1877 as Camp Huachuca, fifteen miles north of Mexico, in the heart of the Huachuca
Mountains, by Captain Samuel M. Whitside, commander of Company B, 6th U.S. Cavalry. On February 9, 1882, it was
renamed as a “Fort.”
The Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo and the Gadsden Purchase had enclosed California and the American Southwest
within our still young nation’s borders.
The Gadsden Purchase included almost the entire sprawling Apache Nation. According to the terms of the treaty, the
United States was obligated to protect Mexico against Apache raids and defend the American settlers, who had been
steadily moving into the San Pedro and Santa Cruz Valleys since the end of the Civil War.
Some say that if you listen closely, you can still hear the war cries of the Apache, who so tirelessly resisted the settling
of the West, echoing in the wind.
As a National Historic Landmark District, the Post (as it is referred to locally) and its several attractions, offer military
history buffs and their families a chance to walk where these brave young soldiers trained, and to learn how they lived
in the midst of what was an often unforgiving frontier.
During modern times, the Post has become the center for electronic weaponry, U.S. Army communications and military
intelligence training.
While there were once nearly two dozen army posts, camps and stations, today Fort Huachuca remains as the last active
Arizona Army Post.
Reservoir Hill / Signal Hill
Situated on an inconspicuous patch of ground that juts out from the southern portion of the overlook for Fort Huachuca,
Reservoir Hill, also known as Signal Hill, was a 19th Century high-tech wonder during the Indian wars.
Visitors who hike to the top readily understand why this spot was chosen for scouting Apache warrior movements. The
views extend for dozens of miles.
From here, using signaling devices called heliographs, Morse code messages on the enemy’s position, estimated sizes
and other critical data were communicated to the next station, sometimes over 30 miles away.
Heliographs, which are tripod mounted communication devices, used angled mirrors to reflect sunlight for communication
across the long distances. It was an indispensable and effective weapon in the campaign against Geronimo and the
Chiricahua Apache.
With breathtaking views across the San Pedro Valley that include both the Old Post historic buildings and the cityscape
of Sierra Vista, Reservoir Hill also happens to be one vacation photo opportunity you don’t want to pass up.
Note: The post is an active military installation. Visitor passes are available to US citizens at the Main Gate with a
valid driver’s license, vehicle registration and proof of insurance (or rental vehicle agreement). All passengers over 13
must have photo identification. International visitors must be escorted onto the post and accompanied by authorized
personnel at all times. Depending on daily national security levels, the Post may be closed to visitors.
The Buffalo Soldiers
It wasn’t until June 28, 1866 that official regiments comprised of black troops were formed by an Act of Congress, even
though African-American troops had faithfully served in every major U.S. military war. By the 1870s, they comprised
20% of the Army. During the Civil War alone, 33,000 of 180,000 of their ranks were killed in action.
But it was during the Indian Wars, and from the Cheyenne and Comanche they fought, that these soldiers acquired the
name they would proudly serve under: Buffalo Soldiers.
In 1885, fresh from their victories in the Plains, twelve companies of the 10th Cavalry (696 black enlisted men, and 38
white officers) mustered at Fort Huachuca in an attempt to quell the raids by Geronimo’s Chiricahua Apache.
Even though they served valiantly and invaluably, the Buffalo Soldiers were subject to segregation and its ill treatment,
including often being issued substandard uniforms and supplies, and the least desirable horses.
Despite it all, the Buffalo Soldiers lived up to their name. In 1886, they tracked Geronimo and his party to the Piñito
Mountains in Mexico, and only a few months later ran down the last renegade, Mangas Coloradas.
A list of those that they tangled with—from Geronimo, Sitting Bull and Victorio, to Billy the Kid—includes the most
infamous that the American West had to offer.
The Buffalo Soldiers continued to leave their mark on history’s pages. The 10th Cavalry “softened” up the Spaniards at
San Juan Hill so that Teddy Roosevelt’s Rough Riders could effect their charge up that famous hill. And they followed
General John “Black Jack” Pershing into Mexico in pursuit of Pancho Villa in 1916.
In World War II, the 92nd Infantry “Buffalo Soldier” Division served valiantly in Italy with 616 killed in action and 2,187
wounded. The 93rd Division, stationed in the South Pacific, also made the ultimate sacrifices for freedom.
The Buffalo Soldier statue, located in the Buffalo Soldier Legacy Plaza on Fort Huachuca, was dedicated in 1977 to
immortalize the role African-Americans have played in Fort Huachuca’s history.
To learn more about the celebrated Buffalo Soldiers of Fort Huachuca, be sure to visit the Fort Huachuca Museum
located on the post.
Old Post Cemetery
For those of you who prefer your history written in stone, you are invited to wander through the Old Post Cemetery, the
historic memorial grounds of Fort Huachuca.
There, you’ll find a tableau of tales with glimpses into generations of the Southeastern Arizona Territory families, the
Post’s memorialized Indian War years and the even more recent past.
You’ll meet the postmistress of Huachuca, Mrs. Carrie Clark. Official records have it that she and her post office were
abruptly moved because she refused to recognize the Post commander’s authority. The unofficial story claims she was
ordered off the Post for illegally selling whiskey.
There are the graves of Apache Scouts and their families, like Shorten Bread and his son Shorten Bread, Jr.
A U.S. Navy Seaman, Juan Cortes, is buried here, so very far from an ocean. Private Willie Shepherd holds the distinction
as the only Confederate soldier interred in this otherwise blue sea of Union graves.
In a quiet, open area marked only with a single stone are “The Unknowns,” the final resting place for seventy-six souls
disinterred from old Fort San Carlos in 1928, along with others brought in for proper burial from mountain wilderness
beyond the gates of Fort Huachuca.
If you like local tales that only tombstones can tell, the Old Post Cemetery is a must see for both the graveyard history
buff and the vacationing family looking for local color during a leisurely stroll.
A Tip: Be sure to check the backs of gravestones for information that can often be more interesting than what is engraved
on the front.
Fort Museums
Being so well known for our great outdoors, we often need to remind visitors to Sierra Vista & Historic Fort Huachuca
about the great indoors of our local museums.
Two are nationally renowned for their presentation of the diverse and unique history of the Post: The U.S. Army
Intelligence Museum and the Fort Huachuca Museum with its Museum Annex.
Housed in two buildings, the Fort Huachuca Museum offers a stirring exhibition of the U.S. Army and Southwestern
United States history. Exhibits present the opening of the American Southwest in 1846, the emotional history of the black
army regiments who became known as Buffalo Soldiers, the World War II years, and the current era of modern warfare.
There are manuscripts displayed that are over 140 years old, antique army weaponry like the 1877 Harper’s Ferry pistol,
as well as significant items from World War II and the Korean War.
The Fort Huachuca Museum is housed inside one of the Post’s many historic buildings that over the years served as a
bachelor officers quarters, an officers club and a headquarters building.
The U.S. Army Intelligence Museum, a short stroll from the Fort Huachuca Museum and Museum Annex, is such
a detailed and complete repository of military intelligence history that to this day it is still used by the U.S. Army
Intelligence School as an integral part of its curriculum.
Exhibits range from early intelligence tools of the Civil War to the infamous Enigma Machine, the World War II Nazi
coding device. There is also an Army Jeep fully equipped for use during the Cold War, surveillance drones, and a rare,
12-foot by 10-foot segment of the actual Berlin Wall, with its trademark graffiti.
MUSEUM SCHEDULE: 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and 1 p.m. to 4 p.m. on weekends and closed on major holidays.
Cavalry Stables
In 1911, the entire 6th U.S. Cavalry was transferred to Fort Huachuca when the revolution brewing in Mexico finally
exploded.
Fort Huachuca became the command center for defense because border towns like Naco and Douglas were threatened
as battles bled over onto the Arizona Territory.
With orders from Washington, D.C., U.S. Secretary of War, L.M. Garrison, upgraded the Post from regiment to brigade
status at the end of 1912.
To accommodate this sizable expansion, seven stables with blacksmith shops, hay and wagon sheds, guardhouses and
other shops were developed and built as part of an extensive quartermaster’s complex.
The largely unsuccessful expeditions into Mexico giving chase to Pancho Villa and his rebels, led by General John
“Black Jack” Pershing and in which Fort Huachuca troops participated, ended in 1917. Little did anyone then realize
that adventure into Mexico would be the last time a conventional, horseback cavalry was used as a military weapon.
World War I was about to usher in an entirely new mode of motorized warfare never before seen on earth, and soon
after, in the skies.
From then until the outbreak of World War II, the Cavalry Stables continued to house horses and mules.
In September 2003, the primary cavalry stable structure was ordered restored to its original, historic design. One building
will be used to billet horses as originally used and one will be an interpretive facility. Until the original building is fully
restored, the B-troop (10th Cavalry Memorial Unit) practice sessions are held at Wren Arena and are open to the public.
Black Officers’ Club
What did Joe Louis and the famed black infantry divisions, the 92nd and 93rd, have in common with each other? A tour
at Fort Huachuca.
During World War II, the military operated under a policy of segregation, and recreational opportunities were scarce,
if not outright restricted, for black officers. While white army officers had their officers’ club, there was no such
socializing facility for the 92nd and 93rd.
Finally, in 1942, The Mountain View Officers’ Club (or the Colored Officers Club as it was also called) was finished
and opened.
Today, what has come to finally be called The Black Officers Building still stands in proud testament to its unique
history of service and celebration that included the contributions of celebrities and other prominent individuals.
One of the more notable events involved world heavyweight champion Joe Louis displaying his talent in a ring on the
lower drill field outside The Black Officers Club.
Legendary entertainers Lena Horne and Dinah Shore graciously performed on the Black Officers’ Club theater stage.
The U.S. Army’s Special Service Division, which was responsible for arranging entertainment for soldiers, got into
the act. With their pick of military musicians, the Special Service Division formed swing music bands. GI Rhapsody,
an original musical created and performed at Fort Huachuca, sent traveling members well beyond the Post gates to
entertain, and was even committed to celluloid by Hollywood film makers.
Sierra Vista how it was
While Sierra Vista is a young city, having been incorporated in 1956, our roots are deep, and we have significant
historical ties to the soldiers on Fort Huachuca as well as the early ranchers, homesteaders and business entrepreneurs.
Our Sierra Vista History Began on the West End
Unfortunately, not many of the West End historic structures remain; however, many of the memories do. In 1910, Margaret
Carmichael, together with her husband, homesteaded along Fort Huachuca’s east boundary; the Carmichael Ranch covered
5,000 acres. The Carmichaels were truly tied to the area and they dreamed of a city outside the post’s gates.
Gate Theater/Smoke Shop
During World War II, two businessmen leased property from the Carmichaels, and the Gate Theater was built. This
500-seat theater was highly popular; the adjacent “Canteen”, a package liquor store, was even more popular, as, some
weeks, sales reached $10,000.
After the war, none of the revamped businesses in the Gate Theater complex worked, until 1956 when the theater was
refurbished as a recreation center and poolroom. And as luck would have it, the newly redone center burned down in
1957. This didn’t dampen the spirits of the lessee and the land was subsequently purchased from the Carmichaels.
The building was rebuilt in the following years as a Playland Arcade and later converted to a Tobacco and Smoke Shop. The
Smoke Shop became very well known, and soon other small enterprises were housed in the building. The building remains
today, and adjacent to the old Smoke Shop, one of Sierra Vista’s landmarks, The Sorry Gulch Saloon, still stands.
Army Service Club
Charitably, in 1942, the Carmichaels wanted to donate land to the government for an off-post military personnel
recreational facility. Negotiations ensued, and the final sale price of $1.00 was accepted. The facility constructed by the
U.S. Army was initially used as a USO Club.
But the success was short-lived as Fort Huachuca was deactivated after World War II. When Fort Huachuca was
reactivated in 1954, the vacant building became the Non-Commissioned Officers (NCO) Club. It was subsequently
deemed unnecessary and again closed.
Many years later, the government sold the property and the Landmark Restaurant was launched. The restaurant, dance
hall and place-to-see-and-be-seen burned down in 1981, just a few years after opening its doors. Today, the Landmark
Plaza, with its successful namesake restaurant and businesses occupies the property.
Historic Soldiers Memorial Cemetery
Archaeologists recently discovered the remains of 63 soldiers who served in the U.S. Army infantry and cavalry in
the Territory of Arizona from the 1860s through the 1880s. They had been buried in the old Camp Lowell cemetery
in Tucson.
With help from the Arizona Historical Society, documents were researched and names were matched to gravesites.
Currently almost all the remains have been identified with name, rank, unit of assignment and date of death.
To honor these soldiers, the Southern Arizona Veterans’ Memorial Cemetery (SAVMC) in Sierra Vista will create a oneacre, dedicated Historic Soldiers Memorial Cemetery within the SAVMC to resemble the historic likeness of the Old
Post Cemetery on Fort Huachuca. Once the historic cemetery is complete, the cavalry and infantrymen will be moved
and reburied in the new grounds. This cemetery will serve as a tribute to those soldiers from the past.
Henry F. Hauser Museum
Located in the Ethel Berger Center (east of the City Hall Complex), the Henry F. Hauser Museum features Western and
Native American displays with historic artifacts and items from Sierra Vista’s early years.
The Museum was named to honor the Mayor of Sierra Vista from the 1960s and 70s, who was recognized for his
successful negotiations during the annexation of Fort Huachuca into Sierra Vista.
The Museum celebrates the historic events of the multicultural and robust Southeastern Arizona Territory through
permanent and themed exhibits, events and publications.
History and the Great Outdoors
Sierra Vista and Historic Fort Huachuca have lived their history large, under bold, blue skies.
It’s even been argued that many of our best museums are alive, like The Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve,
the National Park Service’s Coronado National Memorial and the Fort Bowie Historical Site.
Here in Southeastern Arizona, our history echoes between the granite hills and boulder towers of the Huachuca
Mountains. It patiently waits around the next bend of a hiking trail. It pops up where you least expect it. Use your
imagination - remember all you’ve heard and read about – and you may hear the bird call signaling a brother Apache or
a bugle of the cavalry.
Garden Canyon
Over 350 archaeological sites are located on the grounds of Fort Huachuca.
Lush Garden Canyon, with its stunning natural beauty and ongoing archaeological studies, is a natural for visitors
because of its easy accessibility.
The Garden Canyon Village Site, listed on the National Register of Historical Places, is located in the lower Garden
Canyon. It was a large habitation area from early 600 through about 1450 A.D. The main types of structures that have
been identified at the site by archaeologists include semi-subterranean pit houses and above ground, walled adobe
houses. While the prominent dwellers were most likely Hohokam, evidence of Mogollon, Trincheras, and Casa Grandes
cultures have also been found here.
The Garden Canyon Pictograph (rock art) Site and the Rappelling Cliffs Rock Shelter sites are minutes away from each
other on foot.
The pictograph site has 53 rock art elements, in red and black, dating back to 1300 A.D. Also evident are Apache
pictographs dating from the 1700s.
Some of the Rappelling Cliffs Rock Shelter painted designs are even older than the ones found in the pictograph site,
and of its 32 elements, only three have been deemed to be the more recent Apache pictographs. By the 1700s, the
Apache were the sole residents of the San Pedro Valley.
As a picture book example of high Arizona desert, Garden Canyon not only attracts hikers and naturalists, it has become
a national destination for birders looking to complete life list sightings of Elegant Trogons, Spotted Owls, and other
birds during their seasons.
Ramsey Canyon Preserve
Located in the Upper San Pedro River Basin, Ramsey Canyon Preserve is famous for its more than 170 species of birds
(including 14 varieties of hummingbirds) that attract visitors from across the nation and around the world.
But less well known are the historic events leading up to this precious 280 acres becoming a world-renowned
preserve.
In the late 1800s, the Apache, pursued by Pancho Villa and the U.S. Cavalry, discovered the refuge of Ramsey Canyon,
becoming its last indigenous inhabitants.
The first recorded settler and the canyon’s namesake, Gardner Ramsey, arrived in 1879. He is best remembered for
turning the only access road leading to Hamburg, and that town’s then booming mining activity, into a nearly 3-mile toll
road. Records wryly note that Mr. Ramsey’s toll road was probably one of the first and most lucrative local business
ventures in the canyon.
During the late 1800s, despite its small size, over 100 homes, sawmills, mining businesses, hotels and more, were
constructed and occupied in Ramsey Canyon during a 50-year period.
But while Gardner Ramsey became the canyon’s namesake, the first of two people to have a significant impact on
the future of Ramsey Canyon was James Berner, a German immigrant who settled a parcel of land in 1882 granted in
reparation by the United States for a Civil War injury.
From 1905 to 1915, the Canyon’s population was at its peak. But as mining began to decline, Berner began purchasing
the departing parties’ property.
By 1920, in failing health, Berner placed himself under the care of Dr. Nelson Bledsoe, the next individual to prove
indispensable to Ramsey Canyon’s future. Berner gave Dr. Bledsoe one-half interest in his canyon assets as payment
for medical care.
Three years after Berner’s death in 1922, the doctor bought the balance of his holdings and became the majority
owner of a canyon packed with objectionable characters, run-down mining shacks, and a dance hall with a less than
genteel reputation.
In 1935, Dr. Bledsoe began tearing down the ramshackle buildings to further empty the Canyon. Over the next decades
he instituted a series of improvements, from stocking a reservoir with trout, to demolishing more unsightly structures,
and bringing electricity to the canyon in 1953.
Upon Dr. Bledsoe’s death in 1975, the acreage was bestowed to The Nature Conservancy; this preserve was designated
a National Natural Landmark in 1963.
Source: The Nature Conservancy’s, The History of Ramsey Canyon Preserve, 6th edition, Copyright 2001.
Coronado National Memorial
Some consider the arrival of the Spanish Con-quistadors as the beginning of over three centuries of conflict be-tween
European whites and Native Americans.
Others note that their arrival and travels into what became the United States resulted in the establishment of important
settlements, trade routes and development of the Southwestern United States.
Many questions remain as to whether Francisco Vasquez de Coronado was merely another young adventurer in pursuit
of the Seven Cities of Cibola and their fabled gold, or a cold-hearted mercenary who battled and otherwise abused the
indigenous populations he encountered in the New World.
Coronado’s official mission, as established and financed by the royal courts of Madrid, was to claim new lands for the
King of Spain, spread Catholicism, and, as with any royally-financed undertaking, acquire gold for the king.
Coronado had arrived in Mexico City five years prior to his 1540 expedition. He had risen to prominence in the
Mexico City council, and in 1538 became governor of New Galicia. The viceroy of New Spain, as Mexico was then
called, Antonio de Mendoza, commissioned Coronado to undertake his famous exploration, a mission fraught with
misconnections for supplies, false hopes and tall tales, violent battles, and finally a less than triumphant return to
Mexico City less than two years later.
Of course, the true fortune that Coronado recovered for posterity was the knowledge of an exciting new frontier that would
become a cultural treasure in its own right, explored, and eventually colonized by those who followed in his footsteps.
While it’s uncertain if the adventurer set foot on any of its grounds, Coronado, the largest of the National Park’s Memorials
with its astonishing scenery, is the commemoration of his excursions. There are numerous hiking trails offering scenic
views of the San Pedro Valley, the route Coronado and his entourage used, and the grasslands of Sonora, Mexico.
The road to the scenic overlook at Montezuma Pass, at an elevation of 6575 feet, is initially paved. The mountain road
has switchbacks, but, using caution, the ultimate benefit is certainly worth the fifteen-minute drive. The panorama over
the San Pedro and San Rafael Valleys and an extensive view into Mexico is magnificent.
Cochise Stronghold & The Amerind Foundation
Visitors in search of Cochise Stronghold often expect a single mountain fortress which the Chiricahua Apache, known to
his people as Goci, “his nose,” called home. In actuality, Cochise utilized most of the hundreds of acres in the Dragoon
Mountains as his “stronghold.”
The sky piercing rhyolite pillars, stacks of eerily balanced boulders, and rugged granite hills gave the Apache a high
country vantage point. From here they would espy any intruders days ahead of their arrival.
A local mail contractor on the Butterfield Stage Line, Tom Jeffords, went so far as to personally meet with Cochise
(who by then was rumored to be responsible for the waylaying and deaths of 22 Butterfield drivers) to carve a separate
peace, which Cochise respected. Jeffords later served as a mediator between the Apache and the U.S. Army in brokering
the general peace. Jeffords, who grew closer to Cochise, was one of a very few who knew where Cochise was buried,
but kept that secret to the day he died. Purportedly, the Stronghold is Cochise’s final resting place, a place that was his
stomping grounds for many years.
Today, Cochise Stronghold offers hiking trails just footfalls from history, with campgrounds, picnicking, and nearby
attractions like the Amerind Foundation.
Located in the Texas Canyon of the Little Dragoon Mountains, the Amerind offers a museum of Native American
archaeology, art, history and culture ranging from Alaska to South America.
In addition to invaluable Native American costumes, artifacts, pottery, and other significant collections, the Amerind’s
Fulton-Hayden Memorial Art Gallery boasts western theme artwork from masters like Frederic Remington, Harrison
Begay, Carl Oscar Borg and others.
Fort Bowie
Located between the Chiricahua and Dos Cabezas Mountains, along the eastern approach to Apache Pass, Fort Bowie
was established in 1862 due in part to the loss of soldiers during Apache attacks that summer. The Bascom Affair in 1861
triggered many years of raids, engagements, ambushes and deaths between the military and the Chiricahua Apache.
Prior to that, Cochise, with his Chiricahua Apache, had enjoyed excellent terms with the personnel at the Butterfield
Overland Mail station in Apache Pass.
Some years later the Fort served as a base for offensive operations against Geronimo and his band. Geronimo officially
surrendered in 1886 to Nelson Miles at Skeleton Canyon and was brought to Fort Bowie as a prisoner of war.
Having succeeded in its mission to quiet the frontier, eight years later, Fort Bowie was abandoned. Soon after, the land
went to farmers at a public auction and in 1911, the last post buildings were sold. In 1964, the Fort was declared a
National Historic Site.
Today, the area surrounding the Fort is much the way it was during its heyday, with the ruins on a wind-whipped mesa,
surrounded by a jagged terrain.
At the Visitor Center, exhibits on the Butterfield mail route, military life at Fort Bowie, and Apache history can be
found. For those who navigate the 1.5-mile hike to the Fort ruins, a dramatic step back into time awaits.
Walking within the eerily silent space of the mess room, quartermaster’s storehouse, and the 15 other building ruins,
with the inhospitable wilderness all about, the fear and loneliness of the Fort Bowie soldiers on their watch can become
startlingly palpable.
Ghost Tales and Towns
It’s the rare visitor to our area who doesn’t ask about our ghost towns. Bygone eras always have a unique allure all their
own that make sites even more special to explore.
Of course, just like all of our attractions in southeastern Arizona, our ghost towns are also accessible to visitors, often
right at the end of a short, scenic hike.
Be sure to enjoy yourself when visiting our ghost towns, but please remember that it’s a federal offense to remove
artifacts from public lands including arrowheads, potsherds, and other historical objects.
Now, as we all know, no ghost town is worth its salt out here unless it has an entertaining or hair-raising, if
not downright notorious, past. Here are some interesting tales behind the historical records of just a few of our
local haunts.
Daisy Mae’s Stronghold Building
Daisy Mae’s Stronghold, located on Garden Avenue near the main gate of Fort Huachuca, has always been devoted to
exemplary customer service from the day it opened as a territorial trading post.
By turns, Daisy Mae’s has done stints as the local U.S. Post Office, a general store, and even a stage coach stop. As the
19th Century drew to a close, and the ranks of Fort Huachuca soldiers burgeoned, Daisy Mae’s reinvented itself into
a brothel.
Today’s Daisy Mae’s Stronghold offers its clientele service of a very different type. Mesquite grilled dinners are served
in the “bedrooms” including “Charlie’s Room,” which is said to be haunted by the apparition of a gentleman patron
who died during a knife fight over one of the establishment’s more popular ladies. Of course, dinner at Daisy Mae’s is
a tamer experience than it used to be; unless good old Charlie happens to pick your table to visit...
Brunckow Cabin
Brunckow Hill is located only eight miles from Sierra Vista, between Charleston and Tombstone. The site of some 22
murders driven by greed during its silver mining heydays, its namesake destination, Brunckow’s Cabin, sits just half a
mile from the San Pedro River.
Frederick Brunckow was a skilled mining engineer from Germany who came to this area for the adventure and the
promise of silver. He is also, reportedly, the first to successfully find silver in the Tombstone hills.
While working his claim, starting in 1858, he built and lived in the adobe cabin.
Two years into his prospecting, on an otherwise quiet day, Brunckow was working the mine with a machinist, an
assayer, a mine superintendent, and nearly a dozen laborers.
No one knows what exactly happened, but one thing was certain, Brunckow and two men were robbed and murdered at
the cabin. The worst of the stories that made the rounds has Frederick Brunckow torturously killed with his own rock
drill and unceremoniously tossed into a mineshaft.
Within days of the discovery of the crime, a mining cook reported that the laborers had committed the crime, kidnapped
him, but released him, inexplicably sparing his life. Based on this testimony, the missing workers were presumed guilty
and pursued, even across the border, yet never apprehended.
An interesting footnote to the Brunckow Mine and murders is: Almost 30 years later, in 1882, Frank Sitwell, the owner
of the mine, was killed by Wyatt Earp – in retribution for Sitwell’s having killed Earp’s brother Morgan.
Over the nearly 150 years since, people have given accounts of ghost sightings. Others have reported hearing grinding
metallic and wood cracking sounds of mining operations echoing into the night from long tapped-out shafts.
While visitors should know that the road to the cabin requires a four-wheel drive, or a pickup truck with a high enough
center to navigate the dramatic terrain, it’s worth the trip. The remains of Brunckow’s adobe cabin, with its standing
walls, proudly continue to defy the ages.
Millville & Charleston
Having popped up, as so many towns did, to process mining ore, Millville and Charleston only lasted ten years, as long
as the silver boom in Tombstone.
Millville was the mill site for the Tombstone silver mines and had two of the six ore stamp mills for Tombstone. Work
there went on night and day, and at its high point in 1882, it produced over $1.3 million dollars in silver.
Charleston, initially the bedroom community for Millville, quickly catapulted into a highly active center of trade with
Mexico. Its reputation as a rough ‘n tumble mining town, however, was fairly romanticized in newspapers and dime
novels, considering it never even lost a single shipment of bullion to hooligans.
Charleston boasted saloons, livery stables, restaurants, hotels, a school, a church, a post office, and stores that held up
to $100,000 in goods.
By the mid-1880s, Millville was abandoned due to flooding in the mines of Tombstone. That shut down the mills along
the San Pedro River in a few years, after the stockpiled ore had been processed. The silver boom of the 1880s finally
ended when silver prices fell dramatically and maintaining the silver mines was no longer profitable.
The trailhead for Millville also directs visitors to the Petroglyph Discovery Trail. This recently opened trail highlights
rock art created by Hohokam artisans more than 600 years ago. There are several petroglyph areas, but only two are
designated on the trail.
Fairbank
Fairbank, located along the San Pedro River off State Highway 82, was founded in 1881 upon construction of the
railroad. The town became an important depot being so near to Tombstone, then one of the most populous western cities
with upwards of 15,000 residents.
It was officially christened Fairbank in 1883, after N.K. Fairbank, the person who financed much of the railroad
throughout this southwestern area. Fairbank’s post office was established in the same year, a testament to the town’s
potential for survival. The general store only closed in recent years.
The residents of Fairbank were further served by a Wells Fargo office, a restaurant, a hotel, a schoolhouse, a meat
market, a mill, and the inevitable town saloon.
It, too, had its occasional excitement, such as the attempted robbery of the Arizona and New Mexico Railroad by a
Cochise County deputy sheriff-turned-outlaw. Burt Alvord and his gang bungled the robbery attempt by not anticipating
the unexpected. They had planned the heist when they believed that Jeff Milton, famous lawman-turned-Wells Fargo
agent, wouldn’t be guarding the rail car. To their surprise, Milton opened the car door. Opening fire, they shattered
Milton’s arm; nevertheless, Milton returned the gunfire and dropped two of the outlaws. Weakening, Milton hid the
keys in the safe. The gunmen, after searching Milton and failing to find the keys, were forced to flee without the wealth
they expected.
In 1901, The Boquillas Land and Cattle Company bought the old Mexican land grant acreage and dispossessed the
remaining residents of the town. The company continued to lease out the mercantile building and a few residences into
the mid-1970s.
The buildings and foundations that still remain can be enjoyed as a self-guided tour. These include the Adobe Commercial
Building that contained the post office, a general store, and the aforementioned saloon; the Montezuma Hotel, built in
1889, with portions of the original foundation intact; a schoolhouse built of gypsum block from Douglas, Arizona, and
several more. A short ½ mile hike will take visitors to the hilltop Fairbank Cemetery. Today, the town site is owned by the
Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and has been incorporated into the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area.
Recently, the Fairbank schoolhouse was restored and serves as a museum and gift shop, staffed by volunteers on
weekends. Former students helped with the historical accuracy of the restoration as pupils were still taught in the oneroom schoolhouse until 1944.
Santa Cruz de Terrenate
The last senior officer of the Santa Cruz de Terrenate Presidio wrote to the royal crown of Spain in 1781 concerning the
evacuation of the fort only five years after its founding:
“The terror instilled in the troops and settlers of the presidio of Santa Cruz that had seen two captains and more than
80 men perish at the hands of the enemies in the open rolling ground at a short distance from the post, and the incessant
attacks which they suffered from the numerous bands of Apache, who do not permit cultivation of the crops, who
surprise the mule trains carrying effects and supplies, who rob the horse herds and put the troops in the situation of not
being able to attend their own defense, making them useless for the defense of the province.” Source: Bureau of Land
Management Web site, www.blm.com.
Located in the San Pedro Riparian National Conservation Area, and managed by the Bureau of Land Management,
Terrenate has suffered the fate of time and weather; only traces of the stone foundation, numerous buildings and adobe
walls remain. However, it is still considered to be the most intact example of the Spanish presidios, or forts, in the
western United States.
The Presidio was established in 1776 by a mercenary from Ireland named Hugo O’Conor, who was under the employ
of Carlos III, the King of Spain. Terrenate, part of a chain of other presidios, or forts, had problems from the beginning.
The original design that had been planned did not take into consideration the local Apache. Here the rules of warfare
fortifications were quite different from those in Europe. Soon the construction slowed as the necessary strategic changes
were adapted. The day-to-day struggles with constant ambush and destruction by the Apache took their toll on soldiers
and officers alike. The presidio’s morale plunged, while greed and corruption ran rampant. Even getting reinforcements
and other assistance was next to impossible from Spain’s network of Presidios, all of which would soon begin to
similarly fail.
and a few more spooky spots…
Many of Arizona’s best of these delicate, historic treasures dot the high desert around here—note that most of these
towns do not rest on a main road. Generally the access is by dirt road and then an easy, or not-so-easy, hike to the site.
Here a few more quick sketches for spooky spots fans everywhere that you might find of interest:
Contention City
Another ten-year-wonder established in 1879 to support the silver mines of Tombstone and three mills – the Grand
Central, Head Center, and Contention – that nonetheless can make a unique boast of its own.
This milling town and El Paso and Southwestern Railroad station was civilized by the pure determination of 10 tough
Anglo women insisting on living with their husbands.
In its prime, the Kinnears’ and Ohnesorgen & Walker Stage lines carried passengers from Tucson to Tombstone, with a
rest stop in Contention City. The post office opened in 1880 and closed in 1888.
A small cemetery with its local legends and some adobe ruins stand in mute testimony to the lively, bustling life that
boomed and busted so quickly.
Courtland
Courtland, named for Courtland Young of the Great Western Mining Company, was a copper mining town and large
enough to need two newspapers for its over 2,000 residents. The post office was established in 1909 and operated until
1942. In its prime, with four huge copper mining companies working the area, Courtland held organized baseball games
and horse races, had a movie house, telephones, and a unique system of water mains that stretched over five miles.
Courtland is in the southeast corner of the Dragoon Mountains, along the fascinating Ghost Town Trail. Visitors can
expect to be surprised by the interesting jail building, but as you explore, keep an eye out for open mine shafts, especially
in the areas outside the town site.
Pearce
One fine day in 1894, James Pearce, who worked as a miner in Tombstone, managed to discover some gold-veined
quartz on the site that would become the boom town of Pearce. He named his claim the Commonwealth.
During the rush his news created, Pearce managed to sell it all to a New Mexico banker for the then startling sum of
$250,000. However, it is said that, coming from a long line of hard-deal-driving Cornish folk, Pearce’s wife, “Ma,”
additionally worked out a boarding house monopoly for the mine workers.
Pearce turned out to have one of the richest of the Arizona gold strikes, one that produced from $15 to $30 million
dollars within two years. Pearce is located on US 191, less than 20 miles south of I-10. It offers visitors a museum, adobe
ruins, a graveyard, and historic buildings, like the old general store, which also served as the jail.
Gleeson
Gleeson was first named Turquoise, after the semi-precious stone that Tiffany’s of New York invested so much money
searching for here. Tiffany’s tried for years to strike a large turquoise vein, but never did better than a series of small
strikes, and it pulled out of the region.
In early years, the Spaniards were the first to try to mine turquoise in this Apache country, and met with predictable and
frustrating results.
Gleeson is another mining town whose thriving existence - in another year, another time—waned when copper prices
plummeted. Today, only a few residents still live here.
Gleeson, along with Courtland and Pearce, lies on the Ghost Town Trail.
Archaeology & Antiquity
Southeastern Arizona, while very well known for Western culture and history, also happens to be internationally
renowned for some key archaeological sites.
Three separate “Clovis Sites” at Naco, Lehner and Murray Springs have proven to be highly significant discoveries.
These sites help explain the travels and day-to-day lives of the hunter-gatherers who are believed to have first populated
the North American continent. Nomadic tribes that traveled across the Bering Strait from Asia, the Clovis people pursued
large mammal game like prehistoric bison, horse, camel, and mammoth. They hunted with stone spear heads, referred to
by archaeologists as “projectile points.”
The word, “Clovis,” used in referring to these people and the archaeological sites, is named after the location where these
distinct projectile points were first discovered near Clovis, New Mexico. To date, no remains of Clovis people have ever
been found. However, many other discoveries about the Pleistocene Epoch, a time when Columbian mammoths roamed
the San Pedro River basin, proved that Clovis people first occupied this area over 11,000 years ago. Ancient tools, the
remains of prey like the extinct mammoth and datable fire hearths are considered major archaeological discoveries.
Please remember as you rediscover these sites of antiquity for yourself that fossils and other artifacts are protected by
federal law, which prohibits the removal or disturbance of fossils, artifacts and prehistoric animal tracks. New objects
can suddenly become visible due to weather or natural erosion.
Lehner Mammoth Kill Site
Discovered in 1952, the site is named after rancher Ed Lehner, who came across mammoth bone fragments on his ranch
near Hereford, Arizona. He notified the Arizona State Museum at the University of Arizona and the museum organized an
excavation and worked on the site during two periods, first from 1955 through 1956 and then from 1974 through 1975.
The Lehner site is significant in that it is the first Clovis mammoth kill site to have butchering tools found with the
remains of prehistoric bison, mammoth, and some smaller game, as well as a datable hearth.
Aside from the Paleo-Indian Clovis type stone tools found, Lehner was also the first Clovis site to yield fire hearths that
placed the Clovis people in North America around 9,000 B.C. Other experts have visited the site and after studying the
soil strata, they arrived at a date for Clovis occupation, about a 1,000 years earlier.
The Lehner site was named a National Historic Landmark in 1967; and in 1988, the Lehner family donated the site to
the Bureau of Land Management.
The Lehner site is located along the San Pedro River basin.
Murray Springs Clovis Site
In 1966, Peter Mehringer, Ph.D. and C. Vance Haynes, Ph.D. of the University of Arizona discovered this site, and
excavation took place from 1967 through 1971.
Containing three separate areas - one where a mammoth was slaughtered, another where up to over a dozen prehistoric
bison were butchered for their meat and hides, and a third, a hunter’s campsite where meat was prepared, cooked and
dehydrated - Murray Springs has yielded an abundance of information as all of the tools, fossils and sites were found
exactly as they had been abandoned by the Clovis people.
Unlike any other Clovis sites, however, Murray Springs boasts the dis-covery of an unusual bone that may have been
used as a wrench type tool to straighten wood or bone spear shafts. While similar artifacts have been found in Paleolithic
sites in Europe, this Clovis tool is one of only two such tools found in North America.
Special Thanks to:
Arizona Office of Tourism
Bureau of Land Management
City of Sierra Vista
Fort Huachuca Museums
National Park Service: Chiricahua National Monument, Coronado National Memorial, Fort Bowie
Sierra Vista Historical Society
Sierra Vista Public Library
Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers
The Nature Conservancy’s Ramsey Canyon Preserve
U.S. Army Intelligence School & Fort Huachuca
U.S. Forest Service
Photographers:
Edward Bottomley
Vera Hylsky
Cathy Murphy
Les Siemens
Sierra Vista Convention & Visitor’s Bureau
1011 North Coronado Drive • Sierra Vista, Arizona 85635
1-800-288-3861 • 520-417-6960 • fax 520-417-4890
Visitor’s Center located at 3020 East Tacoma
e-mail: [email protected] • www.VisitSierraVista.com
For detailed historical site information, stop by the Sierra Vista Visitor Center at 3020 E. Tacoma Street and request your
copy of the Fort Huachuca Buffalo Soldier Historical Tour map.