Fort Bowie

Fort Bowie was a 19th-century outpost of the United States Army in southeastern Arizona near what is today Willcox, Arizona. Its importance was recognized as a national historic site in 1964. The fort was established by the California Volunteers in 1862, after a series of engagements between the California Column and the Chiricahua Apaches. The Battle of Apache Pass in July 1862 secured a significant victory for the Union and helped to establish their control over Arizona during the Civil War. For more than 30 years Fort Bowie and Apache Pass were the focal point of military operations eventually culminating in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Florida and Alabama. The fort was abandoned by the Army in 1894 and soon fell into ruins. Today, visitors can hike to the site and see the remains of the adobe Fort Bowie as well as the cemetery where many of the fort's soldiers are buried.