Apache Spring, Cochise County, Arizona

 Stopping at this tranquil, Edenic spot on the trail to the ruins of Fort Bowie, it's difficult to imagine so serene a site was responsible for so much contention and carnage. Here, at this quiet grotto shaded by lush trees and brush, is Apache Spring. 

Apache Spring (photo by Marcy J. Miller)

Even now, the spring produces a trickle of water. Walk another mile or so up the trail and you'll reach a drinking fountain at the ranger station, but in the 1800s, this spring was the only reliable source of water for many, many miles. The water is no longer as pure as it once was, unsurprisingly; don't drink from the spring.

Apache Spring (c) 2022 Marcy J. Miller

For hundreds of years, indigenous people relied on this spring. Ancient pottery fragments indicate pre-historic tribes were here. Later, it was a crucial site for the Chiricahua Apache. Living in impermanent dwellings called "wickiups" built from locally-available plant fibers and branches, the Chokonen band of Chiricahua Apache used this spring's water when in the northern end of the mountain range that took their name, the Chiricahuas. Here, accessed by the pass between Dos Cabezas and the Chiricahua - Puerto del Dado, or "Pass of Chance" - now known as Apache Pass - was one of the favorite camping sites of the great chief Cochise. 

Example of an Apache wickiup and ramada. Fort Bowie National Park. (c) 2022 Marcy J. Miller

The presence of the spring drew Anglo settlers. In late 1858, the country's transcontinental mail service - the Butterfield Overland Mail Company - established a stagecoach stop at Apache Pass not far from the spring. The station was off to a bad start when the station keeper, Anthony Elder, beat and humiliated a Chokonen warrior in retaliation for an Apache raid on the Santa Rita Mining Company's stock. Facing severe revenge from Cochise, Elder was transferred away from the Pass.

Ruins of the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach Station at Apache Pass. (c) 2022 Marcy J. Miller

The station keeper who succeeded the impetuous Elder, James H. Tevis, presided over the Apache Pass station from 1858 to 1859 and grew to know Cochise. This was during a two-year period of peace with the Chiricahuas, with an unwritten understanding between the band and the Americans. The Apache, in return for provisions, would refrain from attacking and looting Americans. This agreement did not, however, offer any protection to those on the other side of the border. Throughout this time, Cochise actively offered protection to the Americans, including mail carriers and facilities, even going so far as to kill one of his own warriors who breached that trust by carrying out a raid on livestock in the Patagonia area.

By late 1859, the fragile peace between the Chokonen people and the Americans began to break down. Numerous tit-for-tat conflicts began to escalate until, in 1860, Cochise commanded a war party below the border, murdering dozens of Mexicans, murdering four more while heading back to the north. Well back into Arizona Territory, the raiders eventually struck the stage station at Dragoon Springs, stealing livestock. Word got back to the Butterfield station at Apache Pass that they would soon be targeted. 

By January, 1861, relations had deteriorated to the point that the scene was set for the unfortunate, devastating Bascom Affair. An inexperienced officer, First Lieutenant George Bascom, botched negotiations intended to recover a young boy named Felix Ward who'd been kidnapped by Apache during a raid. Despite indications the boy had been taken by Coyotero Apache, not by the Chokonen people, Bascom determined to retaliate against Cochise. In a meadow near the spring and the station, Bascom attempted to detain Cochise and the rather innocuous traveling party with him. Cochise, however, escaped. This bad-faith encounter directly led to the utter breakdown of relations between the Americans and the Chokonens. 

Three unfortunate employees of the Butterfield station opted to get involved with the negotiations with the Apache. One, named Welch, was killed at the station's corral (probably by so-called "friendly fire"); a man named Charles Culver was wounded; and the third, James Wallace, captured. 

The next day, on February 6, Cochise's warriors attacked an eastbound wagon train at the summit of Apache Pass. Nine Mexicans were tortured and killed; three Americans were captured. Cochise hoped to use the Americans in trade for his own people. For extra insurance, the following day he attacked the eastbound stage at the summit, three miles from the station below. Despite the attack itself, the wounding of the driver, the killing of a mule in the team, and the sabotage of the already treacherous Butterfield Stage Road, the coach made it to the station in the middle of the night. 

After a day of inactivity on February 7th, Cochise rallied his troops for an assault on Bascom's soldiers at Apache Spring. Thinking the Apache had left the area, brought the Army's entire herd of stock to the spring to water. As the men drove the stock back toward the station, about 200 Apache warriors attacked, unsuccessfully attempting to cut them off from the station. The entire herd, however, was taken and run into the mountains above. Although the soldiers repelled the assault, the Apache returned and attacked again. The US troops fended off the attackers, suffering the death of one Butterfield employee, the wounding of one US troop, and the loss of dozens of mules. At least three of the Apaches were killed. 

Unsurprisingly, the Apache warriors tortured, killed, and mutilated the four prisoners they'd hoped to use in a hostage exchange. The battle was over, but the hostilities were far from finished. Finding the bodies of the four prisoners, the Army commenced to hang the six adult male Chiricahua prisoners from four large oak trees on the west side of Apache Pass. The remaining prisoners, women and children, were released. 

In June of the next year, the US Army sent Brigadier general James H. Carleton and his California Column of Volunteers to the pass to protect Apache Spring. Perched on a hillside above the spring and fortified by an adobe wall, Camp Bowie was established. From that tactical position, the troops could easily fire on any of the Chiricahua who attempted to access the spring. This was the genesis of what would ultimately become Fort Bowie.

The spring itself is easily accessed from the Fort Bowie trailhead. Of note is the geological fault on the mountainside above and north of the spring. The fault is what makes the flow of water from the spring possible. To access the fault on the mountainside itself, take the Overlook Ridge return trail from the ranger station at the fort. Midway along your hike is a well-marked placard pointing out the fault. 

Apache Spring (with the yellowing trees) as seen from the Overlook Ridge Trail. The distinctive peak in the background to the south is Helen's Dome. (c) 2022 Marcy J. Miller 

For further reading, I highly recommend Edwin R. Sweeney's book, Cochise: Chiricahua Apache Chief. You can order it from Amazon here. Disclosure: I may receive compensation from Amazon for purchases made through this link. 

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