Established by President Grant in 1871, the 7,500-acre Fort Apache Reservation served as operations base from which the U.S. Army, with the help of White Mountain Apache scouts, carried out assaults against renegade Apache bands in an effort to settle the West. (...)
Established by President Grant in 1871, the 7,500-acre Fort Apache Reservation served as operations base from which the U.S. Army, with the help of White Mountain Apache scouts, carried out assaults against renegade Apache bands in an effort to settle the West. Unlike many other military forts in Arizona, which were abandoned at various times, Fort Apache remained in use and under the jurisdiction of the U.S. government. Following the departure of the U.S. army in 1922, the fort reopened in 1930 as the headquarters of the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The White Mountain Apache Tribe established a cultural center at the site in 1969, repurposing many of the buildings. The 288-acre Fort Apache Historic District was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1976, coinciding with the dedication of the museum. A fire destroyed the museum and its collection in 1985. Presently, there are more than 30 buildings at the fort and it is one of Arizona’s most popular tourist destinations.
