Ruins of the
Chiricaua Apache Indian agency at
Fort Bowie,
Arizona. U.S. Indian Agent Thomas Jeffords governed some 900 Chiricahua Apache here in 1875-76, under the vigilance of the U.S. Army at Fort Bowie. Cochise, Chiricahua chieftain and friend of Jeffords, died in 1874, leaving the band divided in leadership and conduct. Some Apache lingered on the reservation, while others slipped away to plunder Mexican settlements. In June 1876, the government removed Jeffords and moved 325 Apache northward to the San Carols Reservation. However, many escaped and fled to distant sanctuaries to renew hostilities for another decade.
The agency building was made of adobe and featured wooden flooring and fireplaces in each of its three rooms. A rock shelf in front of the building suggests it had a porch. It most likely had a flat roof, covered with brush and earth and small windows with deep sills. Photo by
Kathy Weiser-Alexander.