Panoramic Views of the Cochise Stronghold Area — Images by kenne
In 1968, my last post in the Army was Fort Huachuca, in southeast Arizona. It was my first taste of southern Arizona and I loved it.
In the short time we were here, we tried to take in as much of Arizona as possible, because my future was going back to college and who knows what after that.
One of the places I remember going to was Cochise Stronghold at the base of the Dragoon Mountains. This is high-desert area (about 5,000 feet) and generally very dry. The picture I still had in my mind was driving a “primitive” road entering into a tree covered area near a creek. It was beautiful, but not much there to attract only the hardiest of hikes and campers. Still, it’s beauty was enough to maintain a “mind’s-eye” image all these years.
Now three years living on southern Arizona and this past Friday was my first opportunity to drive the seventy-plus miles from Tucson, and as is sometimes the case, my mind’s-eye had not falsely embellished the image — it’s still a beautiful place to visit and spend some time. Now the area has well-developed and maintained campgrounds with nature and interpretive trails and several hiking trails. The main trail was originally an Indian trail and is about 4 miles long one way.
There are also several displays with historical information. For fifteen years this rugged natural fortress area was home for the famed Chiricahua Apache Chief, Cochise and about 1,000 of his followers. It also serve as an effective base of operations for some 250 were warriors located here. The towering pinnacles of rock were perfect lookouts for spotting enemies in the valley below.
Much more information can be obtained at http://www.cochisestronghold.com/
Click here to see a slideshow at my Flickr site.
kenne
A lot of the boulders are covered with lichens. — Image by kenne
Related articles
- Apache Nation & the Wild West (bikelovecoffee.wordpress.com)
- Cochise County Parks Celebrate National Park Week (tucsonweekly.com)
I fought Cochise a few times in my backyard as a kid -Saturday Matinees inspired battles with neibourhood kids. Probably after movies like watching Broken Arrow I think it was or I vaguely remember a movie with his name in it. Such a beautiful area and what an impenetrable le fortress it looks. I enjoyed the slideshow too – I have not been too inspired of late to post photos but this one might just do it for me – really nice photos Kenne!! Enjoyed this post!
I remember the Saturday matinees well. Thanks for the comment.
Thank you for doing this story. It is great~
You are most welcome. If one is into camping, the camp grounds are excellent — with plenty of trails.
Did you find any petroglyphs in those mountains?
No, but that doesn’t mean there’s none there.