Frontier Military Life Comes Alive at This Restored 1870s Army Post in Central Arizona

Fort Verde, Arizona

Before Arizona became a state, Fort Verde stood as the army’s main base in Apache country. Soldiers marched from here to fight in canyons and deserts across the territory. Their wives and children lived behind the fort’s walls, creating a small piece of civilization in hostile land. Here’s the story behind this unknown outpost.

Conflict and Military Response

Raids between settlers and indigenous people were escalating in the 1860s. Farms lost crops and livestock while both sides suffered casualties in the growing violence.

Arizona Volunteer troops established a tent camp overlooking West Clear Creek in August 1865. These Mexican recruits often marched barefoot and fought on half rations.

The camp served as a base for military operations throughout the surrounding countryside. Soldiers built roads and supply lines connecting to other military installations.

Regular U.S. Army troops replaced volunteers in September 1866. They brought more resources and established a permanent military presence in the valley.

Moving the Military Post

Malaria struck the original camp hard in 1871. Mosquitoes breeding in nearby creek waters spread the disease through the military population.

Army leaders relocated the post to higher ground, creating the site now preserved as Fort Verde. The move placed soldiers above the mosquito-infested creek bottoms.

General George Crook blazed a military supply trail connecting Forts Whipple, Verde, and Apache. Crook’s road improved movement of troops and supplies across difficult Arizona terrain.

Officials renamed Camp Verde to Fort Verde in 1878. The name change signaled permanence rather than temporary status, reflecting long-term military commitment.

Creation of the Reservation

Federal officials established the Rio Verde Reservation in 1873. The 800-square-mile reservation sat near present-day Cottonwood, west of Camp Verde.

Nearly 1,500 Yavapai and Apache people from different bands moved onto reservation lands. Many came unwillingly, forced from traditional territories by military action.

Reservation residents built irrigation ditches and planted crops on 56 acres by 1874. They adapted farming techniques despite traditionally living as hunter-gatherers.

Government officials opened former reservation lands to miners and settlers in 1877. This policy allowed expanded American settlement throughout the region.

The Exodus

Congress abruptly terminated the Rio Verde Reservation on February 25, 1875. Business interests in Tucson lobbied for access to reservation lands and resources.

Military forces marched 1,500 Yavapai and Apache people 180 miles to San Carlos Reservation. This brutal journey became known as “The Exodus” among tribal members.

Winter weather created harsh conditions during the February trek. People walked through mountain passes still covered with snow, many wearing inadequate clothing.

Around 100 people died or disappeared during the march from exposure, hunger, and disease. Survivors remember this journey as one of the darkest chapters in tribal history.

Return to Ancestral Lands

Small family groups began returning to Verde Valley around 1900. They came back after 25 years of confinement at San Carlos, drawn by connection to ancestral lands.

The government established a small reservation in Camp Verde in 1909. Additional parcels followed in Middle Verde, Clarkdale, and Rimrock communities.

Five distinct tribal communities form today’s Yavapai-Apache Nation. Tunlii, Middle Verde, Rimrock, Camp Verde, and Clarkdale each maintain unique identities.

The Nation now holds 665 acres in federal trust across these five parcels. This represents only a fraction of their original territory but provides space for cultural continuity.

Fort Verde State Historic Park

Community members opened a museum in the abandoned fort administration building in 1956. Local volunteers collected artifacts and documented the fort’s history.

Arizona designated the site as Fort Verde State Historic Park in 1970. This action preserved the buildings and grounds for future generations.

Four original adobe buildings still stand at Fort Verde. The Administration Building, Commanding Officer’s Quarters, Bachelor Officers’ Quarters, and Doctor’s Quarters survived the passage of time.

Troop I of the 10th Cavalry Buffalo Soldiers served at Fort Verde in 1885. These African American troops brought distinguished service records from campaigns across the western frontier.

Visiting Camp Verde

Camp Verde sits 92 miles north of Phoenix just off Interstate 17. Take exit 287 from I-17 to reach the town center.

The Fort Verde State Historic Park opens daily from 9am to 5pm. Admission costs $7 per adult. The park closes on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day.

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