Chiricahua History

Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona

We drove up to see the National Monument for the second time. Back in 2007 it was snowing and beautiful. Now it's merely beautiful.

The Chiricahua Apaches moved into the area about 1630 and ran into the Northern expansion of the Spanish. That led to centuries of conflict.

The most famous leader of the Chiricahua Apaches was Cochise. He was a brilliant leader and tactician. The Apaches were perhaps the finest foot soldiers in history, able to run all night, barefoot, in single file though the desert to attack an objective.

The rocks of Chiricahua look a little like those in the Bryce National Park. The difference is that Bryce is red sandstone and Chiricahua is compressed volcanic ash.

Cochise was born about 1815. He led efforts to repel Mexican settlers until a period of relative peace began in 1850 when the US annexed the area. He was falsely accused of kidnapping a settler’s son and imprisoned after reporting for questioning. He escaped after being shot three times. He took hostages to use in negotiations, but his plan backfired and both sides killed all their hostages. Cochise signed another treaty in 1872.


Chief Cochise was buried secretly somewhere in the Cochise Stronghold nearby. The Chiricahua National Monument is one of the mountainous "sky islands" rising out of the vast Arizona deserts.


To establish a National Park requires an act of Congress. National monuments, forests, rivers, historical sites, battlefields, etc, require only the signature of a President. This area was set aside as a National Monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge.




The Chiricahua Mountains were created by a massive volcanic eruption only 26 million years ago. Thick layers of ash were compressed into rock, uplifted, eroded and fractured. The Chicicahua Apaches called this “land-of-rocks-stood-on-end”.



“I was born on the prairies where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures." – Geronimo

Neil Erickson fought Apaches for five years and served 30 years in the Army. Neil and Emma established the Faraway Ranch at the entrance of the Monument.

Emma lived here until 1950, when she died at age 96.

Her son, Louis Benton, "Ben" served in WWI and died at age 87. The helmet on his grave may be his, but the ribbons include a Vietnam Service medal with an oak leaf cluster, which he is unlikely to have received at age 80..

When we were here in January, 2007 it had snowed. This is a picture of the Faraway Ranch built by the Ericksons.

Disgruntled Apache warriors, most notably Geronimo, continued raids until 1886. That was the last significant Indian guerrilla action in the United States. At the end, his group consisted of only 16 warriors, 12 women, and 6 children. Upon their surrender, Geronimo and over 300 of his fellow Chiricahuas were shipped to Fort Marion, Florida. One year later many of them were relocated to the Mt. Vernon barracks in Alabama, where about one quarter died from tuberculosis and other diseases. Geronimo died on Feb. 17, 1909, as a prisoner of war.

The One Who Yawns

Two AM - Willcox, Arizona – December 31, 2006

The headlights came on in the Toyota again this morning. We forgot to leave them in the high beam position. I need to compose and mail a certified complaint letter to Toyota . Orion is in the west with Sirius and an oblate moon this morning.


Willcox is literally a whistle stop in the desert, except the long trains don't stop here anymore. They just chug though and whistle about once an hour. Most of them are bearing hundreds of containers with Chinese names on the way to Wal-Mart super centers.

We returned to the Chiricahua National Monument equipped with our new Chinese waterproof boots. The snow had partially melted into puddles and then refrozen on the trails making them very treacherous. At the 7,000 foot level the 25 degree F. afternoon temperature and winds made our Florida winter clothes and lack of gloves seem very inadequate. We decided instead to try hiking Fort Bowie at Apache Springs.


To get to Apache Springs from Willcox, you drive south 20 miles on a two-lane paved road though the desert, then east on a dirt road into the mountains another eight miles. Then you park and walk along a trail two miles to the Fort and then back to your car on another trail.

The first thing seen on the trail of the Fort Bowie National Historic Site is the foundation of a miner’s cabin. Gold bearing veins in granite were discovered her in the 1850s. That discovery did not bode well for Cochise and his tribe.

Further along the trail is a small valley called Apache Pass. A railroad survey team camped here for two days in the 1850s looking for an all-weather transcontinental rail route. Later they found a better route further north. The Butterfield stage company established a stop here on the 25-day, 2,800 mile route from St Louis to San Francisco. Cochise chopped wood here and granted safe passage for the stage line in exchange for gifts. The narrow stage trail ruts are still visible though the valley.


The "Bascom affair" occurred here in this remote empty valley. Lt. Bascom wrongly accused Cochise of kidnapping a settler boy and ordered him held when he reported for questioning. Offended, Cochise bolted from the tent and escaped. Both sides took and executed hostages leading to a bitter eleven-year war.

A wagon train massacre occurred here as well as a large scale battle between the Apaches and California Volunteers. Over 100 soldiers in the graveyard were disinterred and relocated when the fort shut down after Geronimo’s surrender in 1886. The graveyard still contains 37 civilian bodies, including the three-year old son of Geronimo, who was named Little Robe.

Geronimo talked to God on a nearby mountain top. God told Geronimo that he would not die in battle, but that he would die of old age. This prophesy turned out to be true, Geronimo died in a POW camp at Fort Sills in July, 1909. Geronimo was born Goyahkla, "The One Who Yawns," to the Bedonkohe people, a branch of the Eastern Chiricahua Apache. His name was invoked by American paratroopers during WWII.

Apache Springs further on is just a trickle. Water in this desert is rare. The spring is caused by a geologic fault with granite on one side and sedimentary rock on the other. Without the fault there would be no water and no history here.

The last stop on the two mile foot trail is the ruin of Ft. Bowie. This is an extensive complex of buildings including ammunition bunkers and howitzer positions. Morale here was low due to poor food, disease, lack of entertainment, harsh discipline and the ever-present hostile Apaches. Troops were rotated out frequently.

On the trail, something eats birds and berries...


The trail back winds over a high hill covered with desert agave, prickly pear cactus, scrub oak and soapstone yucca plants. The historic site is well done with interesting historic, geologic and botanic plaques to read every few hundred feet.

Happy New Year!

Here are pictures of Apache Pass and the Chiricahua Mountains....

I was born where the wind blew free

Cochise County, Arizona - December 29, 2006

We are about 60 miles east of New Mexico on Interstate 10. We ran into snow flurries on the way in. The TV says there is a severe snowstorm on the way. I plugged in a little Wal-Mart heater where the water tanks and holding tanks are located down in the RV basement. The RV Park here has a big workout room, a restaurant, an indoor heated pool, and hot tub and a big book exchange. I picked up three new things to read.


Chief Cochise was buried secretly somewhere in the Cochise Stronghold nearby. There is also Tombstone, Karchner Caverns, an underground coal mine tour to see.

The Chiricahua National Monument is one of the mountainous "sky islands" rising out of the vast Arizona deserts.


To establish a National Park requires an act of Congress. National monuments, forests, rivers, historical sites, battlefields, etc, require only the signature of a President. This area was set aside as a National Monument in 1924 by President Calvin Coolidge.

The Chiricahua Mountains were created by a massive volcanic eruption only 26 million years ago. Thick layers of ash were compressed into rock, uplifted, eroded and fractured. The Chicicahua Apaches called this “land-of-rocks-stood-on-end”.


Today we drove 40 miles over flat, dry desert (uplifted to 5,000 feet) to reach the base of the mountains. Six inches of snow, very rare in this dry climate, covered the trees and hills. There is a historical ranch preserved in the monument called the Faraway Ranch. We walked a short distance and got wet boots. Back in town, we purchased waterproof Coleman hiking boots to try again tomorrow. There are over 16 miles of hiking trails in the Monument.


Cochise was born about 1815. He led efforts to repel Mexican settlers until a period of relative peace began in 1850 when the US annexed the area. He was falsely accused of kidnapping a settler’s son and imprisoned after reporting for questioning. He escaped after being shot three times. He took hostages to use in negotiations, but his plan backfired and both sides killed all their hostages. Cochise signed another treaty in 1872 and is believed to be buried in the Cochise stronghold nearby..

Disgruntled Apache warriors, most notably Geronimo, continued raids until 1886. That was the last significant Indian guerrilla action in the United States. In the end, his group consisted of only 16 warriors, 12 women, and 6 children. Upon their surrender, Geronimo and over 300 of his fellow Chiricahuas were shipped to Fort Marion, Florida. One year later many of them were relocated to the Mt. Vernon barracks in Alabama, where about one quarter died from tuberculosis and other diseases. Geronimo died on Feb. 17, 1909, as a prisoner of war.


“I was born on the prairies where the wind blew free and there was nothing to break the light of the sun. I was born where there were no enclosures." – Geronimo