Three Kinds of Places
The public places where Apache history is told in Arizona and New Mexico fall into roughly three groups. There are former military posts, now state or national historic sites, which preserve the army’s side of the nineteenth-century record. There are museums and memorials that cover regional history more broadly. And there are cultural centers and museums run by Apache nations themselves, which present their own communities in their own words. Visiting at least one of each kind gives a more balanced picture than any single site can.
Opening hours, fees and exhibits change, so treat the examples below as starting points and confirm details on each site’s official website before traveling.
Former Military Posts
Several forts are now open to the public. Fort Bowie National Historic Site in southeastern Arizona, described in its own article, preserves adobe ruins beside Apache Pass. Fort Apache, in the White Mountains of Arizona, is a layered place on the Fort Apache Indian Reservation: the old army post later became a boarding school campus, and today it is a historic park and cultural center managed by the White Mountain Apache Tribe. That makes the Fort Apache historic site unusual, because a former military post is interpreted by the nation on whose land it stands.
In New Mexico, Fort Stanton in Lincoln County and the Bosque Redondo Memorial near Fort Sumner are both state-run historic sites. Fort Stanton was involved in operations connected to the Mescalero Apache, and Bosque Redondo was the place where Mescalero and Navajo people were held in the 1860s under the army’s reservation experiment. The Mescalero at Bosque Redondo experience was short and painful, and it is told alongside the Navajo story there. Fort Verde State Historic Park in Camp Verde, Arizona, recalls the Verde Valley military presence during the 1870s, when Yavapai and Western Apache people were under pressure from the army.
Parks and Natural Monuments
Some National Park Service and national forest sites include Apache history in their interpretation. Chiricahua National Monument in southeastern Arizona is mainly known for its rock formations, but its exhibits typically discuss the Chiricahua Apache homeland. Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument in New Mexico preserves homes of the Mogollon culture and sits in country associated with the Chihenne, Bedonkohe and other Chiricahua groups. Interpretation at these sites varies, and they are not substitutes for hearing from Apache communities.
Museums and Cultural Centers
Several Apache nations operate their own museums or cultural centers, and these are often the best place to learn about present-day communities, language and arts as well as history. Examples that have existed for many years include cultural centers or museums associated with the Mescalero Apache, the Jicarilla Apache, the San Carlos Apache and the White Mountain Apache. Hours can be limited, some are seasonal, and they may be closed for community events, so calling ahead or checking the nation’s official site is wise. Visitors should also expect that some topics, especially ceremonies, are not displayed.
In larger cities, regional museums hold Apache material in their collections, including baskets, beadwork and photographs. Apache museum collections raise questions about how objects were obtained and who should care for them, and several institutions have worked with Apache nations on consultation and return of items. Museum labels may reflect older attitudes, so read them with that in mind.
Getting the Most From a Visit
- Learn which nation’s land you are on. Mescalero, Jicarilla, San Carlos, White Mountain, Tonto, Yavapai-Apache and others are separate governments with separate rules.
- Prefer sources that include Apache voices, such as tribal museums, books by Apache authors and tribal websites.
- Ask before photographing people or exhibits, a point expanded in the article on photography on tribal lands.
- Buy from Apache artists where possible, since many sell directly at cultural centers or events.
- Allow time for distances. Many sites are remote, with long drives and limited services.
Reading Between the Lines
Sites built around forts focus on the soldiers’ campaigns, so they can make Apache history look like only a series of conflicts. Apache history is much longer and broader than the Apache Wars, and includes farming, trade, family life, language and present-day nationhood. Pairing a fort visit with a tribal museum helps correct that imbalance.
It is also worth remembering that these are living communities. A historic site may describe 1886, but the descendants of the people involved live and work in the surrounding region today. Treat the places as part of an ongoing story rather than a closed chapter.