Christmas week 2015 – Jim, Ms. Sue and I (Ms. Karen) headed out to Ft. Huachuca to visit their museums and cemetery, approximately 1.25 hours from Tucson. (See the end of this post for a warning.)
The Main or Post Museum is in the oldest part of the fort and dedicated to the illustrious history of Ft. Huachuca, originally established in 1877 for the Apache Wars.
The exhibits about military intelligence-gathering in the Annex have been moved to a new space, a 1000% improvement. This new space is called the MI (Military Intelligence) Library.
In addition to the Museums, we wanted to visit the Old Post Cemetery that we had recently read about in Jane Eppinga’s book “Southern Arizona Cemeteries (Images of America) from Arcadia Publishing, the prolific producer of books about everyone’s local history.
Security Checkpoint
To gain admittance to the base we non-military folks came prepared to spend 1/2 hour or so negotiating the system. It is, after all, currently a very active base for the Army’s intelligence & communications efforts worldwide.
Unless you possess a current U.S. military ID, entrance requires each adult to have a valid driver’s license. The guards took our ID and ran a background check on each of us. (We have no idea what “Bad-Guy” list they compared us to.)
Once cleared, we were given a Fort Huachuca ID card good for 30 days, and a hard-to-read map of the fort (miniscule type size … suggest a magnifying glass.).
If you go, you will need to enter through the East Gate, aka Van Deman Gate. Park your car in the area on the right just before the guard station and take a short walk to the small metal building just inside the gate.
We might have to add this to our list of the Best Picnic Areas in Southern Arizona.
Having gained access to the Fort, we followed the Ft. Huachuca map to the Post Museum. None of the landmarks are easy to find. The home of U.S. military intelligence and communications has yet to figure out how to provide accurate and helpful signage to their most venerated museums and other points of interest. Perhaps this is by design.
Floundering a bit from inadequate signage, we backtracked some, drove around, but eventually came across the museum at the north end of the parade grounds at the southwest end of the base, against the canyons. It is the original fort site. The parade grounds are surrounded by the original Officers’ Row Quarters dating from the 1880’s. Some were as recent as 1912.
If you drive up to the Picnic Area, you can see why this place was chosen. Strategically tucked into the hillside, it is easy to see Apaches coming from at least 30 miles away.
At the Post Museum, you can get instructions for an audio tour of the parade ground using your cell phone. This tour describes numerous historic buildings, including their original uses, structure and age.
The Museum tells the history of Fort Huachuca and vicinity from the Coronado Expedition (1541-42) to today. Downstairs it features a room dedicated to the 10th Cavalry Regiment, the Buffalo Soldiers, the early history of the area and a gift shop. Upstairs are rooms that display frontier life at Ft. Huachuca, some major players in the history of the Southwest, and my favorite, an exhibit of Frederic Remington drawings. These drawings are from an article he wrote and illustrated for Century Life about the Buffalo Soldiers. You can get a copy of it here. A Scout With the Buffalo Soldiers (Remington’s Old West series Book 7)
After spending an enjoyable hour in the Post Museum, we drove the short distance up a hill to the picnic area where we had a magnificent view of the fort below. We took a few panoramic shots and then headed back down the hill to the Old Post Cemetery.
At the Cemetery, we found the Apache Scouts, Shorten Bread and this son, Shorten Bread, Jr. as well as a single gravestone marking 76 unknowns who had been reinterred from Camp San Carlos before they became submerged under the reservoir created by the Coolidge Dam. These human remains are believed to be those of casualties in an Apache raid.
The cemetery is actually quite beautiful as well as peaceful, with oak and pine trees scattered about. Headstones of note are captioned with brown signs telling a brief story of the people interred there.
There is a touch screen locator at the kiosk at the front gate where we learned where Shorten Bread is buried. Next to Shorten Bread is a two-sided headstone, with a husband listed on one side and his wife on the other. Interesting. Many infants and young children are buried here as are unidentified remains found in the desert. Of these, some died of dehydration or exposure to the harsh Sonoran Desert. No doubt some died at the hands of the Apaches.
Next, we headed off to find the Military Intelligence “Museum” which use to be housed in the annex next to the main museum. There are no signs to the MI Museum. It is now located within the MI Library and Learning Center (86 on the map), off Hatfield Road, the main road from the Van Deman entrance. Look for a Bright Blue sign on the north side of the road amid several “halls” and a large parking lot.
Once in the Learning Center, ask for the museum. Someone will point you to the back of the building. Jim declared that this new museum is a massive improvement from the former one in the annex, both in size and quality of the exhibits. It describes the history of U.S. military intelligence (spying), starting with the Revolutionary War and continuing up to and including Iraq and Afghanistan. They even display an Enigma Machine, one of many that confounded the Allies for so long. Several videos are spread about the large room, explaining different aspects of military intelligence throughout history … with a positive spin, of course.
Birding in the Canyons Plus Apache Petroglyphs
There are several other points of interest around Fort Huachuca. Huachuca Canyon and Garden Canyon are great birding spots. Garden Canyon has Apache petroglyphs, but the road has washed out and for now you must hike a couple of miles to see them.
One of the more gruesome buildings is the Hangman’s Warehouse that includes a trap door for hanging convicts.
Take The Back Road, If You Have Time
If time had allowed, we would have exited via the West Gate and followed scenic Canelo Road to Route 83 via Elgin. This is one of the most scenic roads in all of Southern Arizona. It is a winding road, and, if you are heading back to Tucson, it will probably set you back another 45 minutes. But if you have the time, it’s totally worthwhile.
Travel Alert!
However, we had lunch at the Mescal Bar and Grill on our mind (I-10 and Mescal exit). Big mistake. As luck would have it, the Department of Transportation had decided to work on the eve of Christmas Eve when people are trying valiantly to get to their families for the holidays.
Traffic was backed up for miles and miles. It cost us an hour moving at 2 mph. This is the second time this has happened. Do yourself a favor and take route 83 via Sonoita if you are headed West to Tucson. Work will be ongoing between Benson and Davidson Canyon for the next year or so. Or at least, check your GPS for traffic.
Buy the Book
For an overview of the Fort and places of interest, try the book by Arcadia Publishing. Fort Huachuca (AZ) (Images of America)
For more information on the Apaches and the history surrounding the Apache Wars, see our page on the Local History of the Apaches.
