Apache Pass is a low divide separating the massive Chiricahua Mountains from the Dos Cavezas Mountains. This landscape formed the rugged corridor through which people and goods were moved. The pass and its nearby spring became a strategic point in mid-19th century westward expansion.

Apache Pass contained critical features for travelers and their animals -- wood, water, and grass. These resources were essential in an era when travel on horseback or horse drawn wagons was the dominant mode. Mail and freight employees, emigrants, surveyors, miners, and military forces survived by knowing and having access to such places.

It was here that Fort Bowie was built in southeast Arizona. Photo by Kathy Weiser-Alexander.