416:, and, along with the surrounding peaks, stands like a mute guard over its unique history. The few remaining building walls in the area have been "stabilized" for preservation purposes, but will not be restored. Visitors who hike along the trails and drive along Apache Pass Road can see the remains of the Butterfield stage station (consisting of the stone foundation), the ruins of the Chiricahua Reservation's agency building, a cemetery, and the remnants of the two forts that were constructed there. The route of the stage trail can still be seen, as well as the sites near the top of the pass where Lt. Bascom executed his Apache hostages and Cochise's followers burned his. Apache Spring still flows, although it has become a mere trickle relative to its former volume. Today's calm and quiet there belies the bustle and excitement that was characteristic of the spot from the 1860s to the 1890s.
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376:, was built to protect the pass and the spring. First, a rudimentary post was constructed near the spring, then later, a more permanent post was constructed a little higher on nearby table-land. Ultimately, Fort Bowie became the headquarters for the fight against the Chiricahua Apaches. When Cochise and General Howard finally made peace, the resulting treaty provided for a large reservation to be set aside encompassing most of what is now
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165:, Apache Spring, emerges from a geological fault line running through the pass. The history of Apache Pass begins with this spring – as the only reliable water source for many miles, the spring served as a critical resupply point for early travelers through the area. Indigenous peoples and westward migrants alike depended on the spring. For the local
200:, bypassed the area, despite Cooke's awareness of its existence from his guides, because details of the route through the pass, including its extent and the availability of other nearby water sources, were unknown, in contrast to the longer route to the south that was eventually chosen. It subsequently fell to a party of
173:, along with many of his followers, favored the area as a camping spot in winter and spring. There were often hundreds of Chiricahuas living nearby. A little higher than the surrounding desert terrain, the pass was cooler on hot days, and the area around the spring provided abundant game and firewood.
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often considered the starting point of
Cochise's eleven-year war against the United States, and which was a formative element in the much longer struggle between Apache peoples and American settlers even after Cochise made his own peace. In February 1861, a detachment of federal troops under Lt.
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made camp in Apache Pass, near the spring and the stage station, hoping to negotiate with
Cochise and his Chiricahua Apaches for the return of a kidnapped child. When Cochise agreed to meet near the camp, Bascom attempted to arrest him and several other Apaches; the resulting stand-off, lasting
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and his band of renegades in
September 1886. In the early 1890s, with the close of the Apache Wars, Fort Bowie was decommissioned and abandoned. Travelers now bypassed the area on the railroad, built a few miles to the north. The only thing left behind at Apache Pass after the local ranchers
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using a bow-shaped route down through Texas and the New Mexico
Territory and on into southern California. They built a way station out of stone on the eastern side of Apache Pass, where they could rest their horses and utilize the water from the spring. It and the station at
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and 49 miles east of
Dragoon Springs Station, with no water along the route except at these three stations. Later in 1858, two new stations were built between these older stations, so that Apache Pass Station was located 19 miles west of
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scavenged the ruins for building materials were a few adobe walls, bleaching white in the sun and slowly washing away in the infrequent rains, and the memories of those who had lived through their experiences there.
384:. The Chiricahua reservation lasted about 4 years; with Cochise's death in 1874 and the dearth of leadership that followed, tensions (and possibly depredations) increased and the Chiricahuas were moved north to the
312:, which shortened the route between Apache Pass and Dragoon Springs, and provided water on both sections. It is likely that Cochise's band provided the stage travelers with firewood when he was in the area.
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After
Spanish and Mexican settlers began visiting the area, the spring at Apache Pass quickly became a flash point for conflict with the resident Apache tribes, leading to its original Spanish name
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The War of the
Rebellion: A Compilation of the Official Records of the Union and Confederate Armies, Series I, Vol. L, United States. War Dept, U.S. Government Printing Office, 1897, p.121-122
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people, the spring at Apache Pass became a sort of crossroads, with many trails from different directions converging on the site. The great
Chiricahua Apache leader
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several days, ended with the deaths of hostages on both sides. The affront sparked a war between
Cochise and the Americans that included the
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Leland J. Hanchett, Editor, Crossing
Arizona, Pine Rim Publishing LLC, Jan 1, 2002 , p.193-203, Chapter 14, The Tucson Cutoff
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Topographic map view of Fort Bowie Historical Site, USGS Map Name: Bowie Mountain North, AZ, from www.topoquest.com
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The construction of the stage station and the increasing use of the pass by white settlers set the stage for an
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at an elevation of 5,110 feet (1,560 m). It is approximately 20 miles (32 km) east-southeast of
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were made from such durable material, an acknowledgement of the danger they felt from the local Apaches.
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In the 1830s, some American fur trappers are believed to have traveled through Apache Pass. In 1846,
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Apache Pass continued to play a major role in frontier history until after the final surrender of
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in 1862, and which only ended eleven years later with a treaty facilitated by General
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List of Stations from New York Times, October 14 1858, Itinerary of the Route
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The Butterfield Trail and Overland Mail Company in Arizona, 1858-1861
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344:and a white teamster and friend of Cochise's named
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426:Butterfield Overland Mail in New Mexico Territory
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597:THE BASCOM AFFAIR, APACHE PASS, February 4, 1861
196:that was surveying and constructing what became
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494:, 2011, Canastota Press, Canastota, New York.
453:Missoula: Mountain Press Publishing Company.
372:in July 1862, a United States military post,
451:Roadside History of Arizona, Second Edition.
352:, a direct result of Bascom's rash actions.
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738:Miembre's River (Rio Mimbres, Mowry City)
244:Company began stagecoach service between
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548:Norman: University of Oklahoma Press.
392:so that they could be better managed.
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838:Stagecoach stops in the United States
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813:Landforms of Cochise County, Arizona
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386:San Carlos Apache Indian Reservation
228:. The cutoff emerged as part of the
388:and consolidated there under Agent
208:to pioneer a shorter route between
122:("Pass of the Die"), is a historic
16:Landform in Cochise County, Arizona
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803:Butterfield Overland Mail stations
408:Apache Pass is now located within
291:) was originally 35 miles west of
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412:, managed and interpreted by the
410:Fort Bowie National Historic Site
364:Fort Bowie site near Apache Pass.
527:New York: Simon & Schuster.
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823:San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line
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818:Mountain passes of Arizona
722:Mexican Springs (Barney's)
546:The Conquest of Apacheria.
449:Trimble, Marshall. (2004)
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670:Butterfield Overland Mail
250:San Francisco, California
242:Butterfield Overland Mail
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523:Roberts, David. (1993).
255:Dragoon Springs, Arizona
33:Apache Pass viewed from
544:Thrapp, Dan L. (1988).
230:Southern Emigrant Trail
190:Philip St. George Cooke
65:Cochise County, Arizona
625:32.15167°N 109.48167°W
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279:32.14889°N 109.44944°W
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672:4th Division Stations
414:National Park Service
370:Battle of Apache Pass
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338:Battle of Apache Pass
260:Apache Pass Station (
246:Saint Louis, Missouri
136:Dos Cabezas Mountains
808:Chiricahua Mountains
630:32.15167; -109.48167
293:Stein's Peak Station
284:32.14889; -109.44944
140:Chiricahua Mountains
103:32.15167; -109.48167
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236:Apache Pass Station
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490:Gerald T. Ahnert,
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308:and 15 miles from
198:Cooke's Wagon Road
48:5,110 ft (1,558 m)
833:American frontier
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728:Soldiers Farewell
404:Apache Pass today
302:San Simon Station
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53:Traversed by
777:Cottonwoods
733:Ojo de Vaca
704:Apache Pass
628: /
616:109°28′54″W
350:Apache Wars
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270:109°26′58″W
116:Apache Pass
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89:109°28′54″W
76:Coordinates
22:Apache Pass
797:Categories
749:Goodsight
613:32°09′06″N
437:References
382:Fort Bowie
374:Fort Bowie
368:After the
356:Fort Bowie
226:New Mexico
160:freshwater
158:A natural
128:U.S. state
86:32°09′06″N
35:Fort Bowie
710:San Simon
687:San Pedro
390:John Clum
267:32°8′56″N
44:Elevation
782:Franklin
420:See also
397:Geronimo
328:incident
61:Location
767:Mesilla
762:Pichaco
556:p.17-8.
461:. p.64.
304:on the
210:Mesilla
204:led by
171:Cochise
132:Arizona
126:in the
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214:Tucson
167:Apache
163:spring
698:Ewell
535:p.22.
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550:ISBN
529:ISBN
455:ISBN
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