THE RICH HISTORY OF COCHISE COUNTY

This little trickle, Apache Spring, played a big part in Cochise County history, and yesterday we took a hike to explore it.

Water meant life to people in southern Arizona - it still does. Native Americans, settlers and the military moved from spring to spring, and Apache Spring was the source of major conflicts in the mid- to late-1800's. Fort Bowie, abandoned in 1894, was built to protect settlers and the Butterfield Stage as they traveled through Apache Pass, quenched their thirst at Apache Springs, and moved out into the open range of the Sulphur Springs Valley.






The ruins of Ft. Bowie make a great destination, a 3 mile hike that encompasses all the heroic stories of western lore: the Apache Wars, the Butterfield stage route from St. Louis to San Francisco, the isolated original Ft. Bowie, and the growth, glory, and final abandoment of the second Ft. Bowie. We six set off with lunch and water, ready to explore the historical context of Cochise County. Left to right: Barry, Odel, Oaurie, Jeanie, Jan and Ray.