Send Some Apaches To New York. That’ll Show ‘Em!

Like so many others, I enjoy local histories. Understanding history is how I get a sense of the places and people I visit as I travel around Baja Arizona creating my videos, photographs, stories, and reviews to share with you on my Southern Arizona Guide. Of late, I have been reading extensively about the Apache [...]

Continue reading

The Apache Wars: A Timeline.

Apache Pass as viewed from Ft. Bowie today.

The saga of the Apache Wars is both complex and compelling. For over a quarter century, hundreds of ambushes, raids, massacres, and full-fledged military battles occurred over a huge, rugged, and diverse landscape. The wars involved hundreds of notable participants. The following is the merest of highlights to help you get your mind around the amazing history of many places you can visit here.

Continue reading

Why The Apaches Were Defeated

Geronimo, 2 sons and nephew

The Apaches lost their wars against the Mexicans and Americans for six basic reasons.

First, the Apaches were hopelessly outnumbered. When an Apache chief, such as Cochise, lost a warrior in battle, there was no replacement until one of the younger boys grew up and became a warrior. All an American or Mexican military officer usually had to do when he lost men was call for readily available replacements. It was a war of attrition.

Continue reading

Could The Apache Wars Have Been Avoided?

Could these devastating wars have been avoided? The short answer is “NO!” Given the inevitability of the White Man’s massive western migration; and the Apache’s understandably powerful desire to hold on to their ancestral lands, brutal conflict was unavoidable.

Continue reading

Geronimo’s Autobiography – Excerpts From His 1905 Book

Geronimo age 74, a celebrity

(Italics are my comments to assist readers in understanding the fuller context. jg) DEDICATORY Geronimo: The True Story of America’s Most Ferocious Warrior Because he has given me permission to tell my story; because he has read that story and knows I try to speak the truth; because I believe that he is fair-minded and will cause my people to receive justice in the future; and because he is chief of a great people, I dedicate this story of my life to Theodore Roosevelt, President of the United States.                   Geronimo. (Over many months in 1905, Geronimo told is life story to S.M. Barrett. Barrett transcribed Geronimo’s spoken words into English with the help of an interpreter who Geronimo trusted.)  INTRODUCTORY S.  M.  Barrett: 1905 Early in October I secured the services of an educated Indian, Asa Deklugie, son of Juh (pronounced Ho or sometimes Whoa), chief of the Nedni Apaches, … Continue reading

Cochise Stronghold Natural Apache Fortress

This rugged natural fortress was, for some 15 years, the home and base of operations for the famed Chiricahua Apache Chief, Cochise.  Cochise and about 1,000 of his followers, of whom some 250 were warriors, located here.  Sentinels, constantly on watch from the towering pinnacles of rock, could spot their enemies in the valley below and sweep down without warning in destructive raids.  No White Eyes, man, woman or child, within a hundred miles was safe from these attacks. Click here to read more. Enjoy Hiking, birdwatching, rockclimbing. Stargazing or just cooling off in the 5000ft. Elevation. Camping is available and run by the BLM. RV’s no longer than 30′. There are 9 tent or RV sites, and 2 group sites.

Nearby lodging
Cochise Stronghold B&B.
Sunglow Ranch