Fort(ress) of Solitude

"What are we doing today?" asked the not-so-junior rangers, as we got off I-10 and headed south on a very small, desolate road.

"Fort Bowie," I replied.

"Why would the government build a fort out here in the middle of nowhere?" asked the patient husband of the crazy lady who will travel anywhere to visit any place with a brown National Park Service sign.

After parking at the trailhead, we started the 1.5 mile hike in to the visitor center to find out.

There were several wayside exhibits along the trail interpreting locations of historical significance. One provided information on the Bascom Affair of 1861, which precipitated the conflict between the U.S. army and Cochise (and later on, Geronimo) and the Chiricahua Apache for the next three decades.  

Bascom's encampment was ~200 yards to the east of here

We also saw the ruins of a Butterfield Overland Mail stagecoach station, as well as the remnants of the trail. From 1857-1861, the route ran from St. Louis to San Francisco, through the Apache Pass here.

The Battle of Apache Pass, the second major engagement between the Union Army and the Apache, took place in July 1862. This led to the establishment of Fort Bowie in order to protect the pass as well as Apache Spring, the only source of water for miles.

The visitor center and the ruins of Fort Bowie were just a little farther beyond the spring...

Cavalry barracks

J found this local resident as we were exploring the fort...

Rattlesnake!

This was our view of the site as we hiked back out along Overlook Ridge...

120 years ago...

...and today

Siphon Canyon

Because I'm always stopping to take pictures (and I'm slow, regardless), the guys hiked on well-ahead of me. I enjoyed the solitude. Unfortunately, none of us realized that I had *both* sets of car keys. Doh!