Four of the oldest buildings in Northern Arizona stand as a colorful and authentic testimonial to the undaunting passage of time and the permanence of well-designed adobe architecture.
Started in 1871 and occupied in 1872 at the start of General George Crook’s brutal winter operations against the Yavapai and Apache People, these structures have stood for over 125 years.
Today, they are maintained as Fort Verde State Park in Camp Verde, AZ and offer an interesting historical stop.
There is a very good local museum housed in what was originally the headquarters building.
As you walk across well-worn plank floors made of pine trees cut locally, they squeak with a loud groan.
You may realize this sound could well have been heard by such departed heroes as Crook, the Indian fighter, or Al Sieber, his Chief of Scouts.
They both spent time in this building.
Along one wall is a display describing the Heliograph system that allowed the U.S. Army to pass signals from Fort Whipple to Fort Grant in a matter of minutes via a system of mirrors flashing Morse code with the bright Arizona sun’s rays.
The lookouts were positioned atop many sight-interconnected mountaintops, such as Squaw Peak, Mazatzal Peak, and Mount Graham.
The American flag snaps crisply in a brisk fall breeze above the parade grounds where cavalrymen and buffalo soldiers once drilled.
Facing this field are the three other remnants of the original fort: the Commanding Officer’s Quarters, the Officer’s Quarters, and the Doctor’s Office and Quarters.
These are nicely restored and furnished with period furniture and accoutrements.
Sophisticated eastern designs built of local native materials in the rough-hewn wilderness of territorial Arizona.
The U.S. Congress separated Arizona Territory from New Mexico Territory in 1862, about the time the Walker Expedition discovered gold in the Bradshaw Mountains.
This was during the Civil War, and Tucson, the state’s largest town, was known to be a “hotbed of Southern sympathizers.”
The new government was established in Northern Arizona, away from those rebel rascals, along the banks of Granite Creek.
It was named Prescott in honor of noted and only shortly deceased anthropologist William Hickling Prescott.
Fort Whipple was built to provide protection for the fledgling government there.
In April of 1865, nineteen stalwart souls made their way in covered wagons from Prescott down Copper Canyon into the Verde Valley and settled near the confluence of Clear Fork and the Verde River.
They built an enclosure, dug an irrigation ditch, and planted corn and barley.
They were soon attacked by Indians whose homeland they were invading and whose farmland they were taking.
That fall, a column of Arizona Volunteers led by Antonio Abyeta came into the valley to provide protection.
The military soon set up Camp Lincoln—named to honor slain President Lincoln—on a finger of land that separates Beaver Creek from the Verde River.
It was a real struggle to survive that first winter with little food, few provisions, and no pay.
The fort was moved twice and, finally, in 1871 was erected as Camp Verde, on a hilltop across from the mouth of Beaver Creek.
The General Crook Wagon Road was built, and Camp Verde soon became an important stop along the route from Fort Whipple to Fort Apache in the White Mountains.
Fort Verde also served as an anchor for the civilian settlement of the Verde by providing not only protection from the Indians but also a market for goods and services in a cash-strapped frontier.
So, the next time that you’re buzzing down the interstate to or from our current state capital, take an hour or so and visit Fort Verde State Park.
You’ll be glad you did.
Enjoy Northern Arizona!
Department of Arizona in 1871, following the departure of George Stoneman.
Chulipan and 2,300 followers surrendered to Crook at Fort Verde in 1873.
