The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an
Indian reservation on the border of New Mexico and Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of
Navajo
The Navajo (; British English: Navaho; nv, Diné or ') are a Native Americans in the United States, Native American people of the Southwestern United States.
With more than 399,494 enrolled tribal members , the Navajo Nation is the largest fe ...
,
Gila, and
Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation (
Western Apache language: Dził Łigai Si'án N'dee), a
Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 1.6 million acres and a population of 12,429 people as of the
2000 census.
[Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona](_blank)
, United States Census Bureau The largest community is in
Whiteriver.
History
Apache is a colonial classification term for the White Mountain Apache and all other Apache peoples. The White Mountain Apache consisted of three major groups that were made up of sub-groups called bands and
clans, within which were families. There were clan rules controlling marriages between persons of families in different clans.
The largest of these three groups were collectively known as "On Top of Mountains People", the second major group was known as "Many Go to War People", and the last was known as "At the Base of the Mountains People". These names in indigenous White Mountain Apache dialect predate relations with the United States. Some contemporary White Mountain Apache have urged the adoption and use of these terms for the three major groups.
Fort Apache, originally called
Camp Apache, was established by the United States Army in 1870 at the suggestion of White Mountain Apache leadership. They knew that the Navajo were resisting US supervision. After warfare, the US forced the Navajo and Mescalero Apache on the
Long March
The Long March (, lit. ''Long Expedition'') was a military retreat undertaken by the Red Army of the Chinese Communist Party (CCP), the forerunner of the People's Liberation Army, to evade the pursuit of the National Army of the Chinese ...
to remove to
Fort Sumner in New Mexico in 1863-1864, where they were held nearby at
Bosque Redondo
Fort Sumner was a military fort in New Mexico Territory charged with the internment of Navajo and Mescalero Apache populations from 1863 to 1868 at nearby Bosque Redondo.
History
On October 31, 1862, Congress authorized the construction of For ...
for years. They were finally allowed to return to their homeland in 1868.
In 1871 General
George Crook enrolled 50 White Mountain Apache men to serve as
scouts for his army during the
Apache Wars, which lasted intermittently for 15 years. These wars ended with the surrender of
Chiricahua leader
Geronimo in 1886. Because of the scouts' service to General Crook during the Apache Wars, he worked to enable the White Mountain Apache tribe to keep a large portion of their homeland as their reservation (named for them).
In 1922, the U.S. Army left
Fort Apache, which was surrounded by the reservation. It was transferred to the Department of Interior's
Bureau of Indian Affairs in 1923 for further use. The BIA established an
Indian Boarding School
American Indian boarding schools, also known more recently as American Indian residential schools, were established in the United States from the mid 17th to the early 20th centuries with a primary objective of "civilizing" or assimilating Na ...
here in order to use these facilities. It was named after President
Theodore Roosevelt.
The school was designated as a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
in 2012, as a contributing part of
Fort Apache Historic Park. The entire former military complex was recognized, as well as the role of the school in tribal assimilation.
The White Mountain Apache now operate the
Roosevelt Indian School as a tribally controlled middle-school facility. They have a contractual arrangement with the Bureau of Indian Education, which funds the school.
Government
The White Mountain Apache created their own constitution under the
Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. In 1936 they elected a tribal council that governs the tribe and reservation. It oversees all tribe-owned property, local businesses, and governance.
Geography
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is covered mostly by pine forests and is habitat to a variety of forest wildlife. It is located directly south of the
Mogollon Rim. The highest point in the reservation is
Baldy Peak, with an elevation of .
Economy
The tribe operates the
Sunrise ski resort and the Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center. It has built the Apache Cultural Center & Museum, constructed in the traditional style of a ''gowa.''
Other attractions within the reservation include the Fort Apache Historic Park, which has 27 buildings surviving of the historic fort and a
National Historic District; and other historic sites.
Kinishba Ruins, an ancient
archeological site () of the western
Pueblo culture, is a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places liste ...
. It is located on nearby associated tribal trust lands. Appointments may be made to visit the site.
Demographics
According to the US Census Bureau, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which is located in Navajo County, is developed with small communities. North Fork, Whiteriver, Fort Apache, East Fork, Rainbow City, Cibecue, Hon-Dah, McNary, Turkey Creek, and Seven Mile are the communities, comprising a total population of 22,036 in 2010 on the reservation.
[https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-4.pdf ]
Transportation
The White Mountain Apache Tribe operates the Fort Apache Connection Transit, which provides local bus service. The
City of Show Low operates the Four Seasons Connection, which provides service from the
Hondah Casino to Show Low and
Pinetop-Lakeside
Pinetop–Lakeside is a town in Navajo County, Arizona, United States. According to 2020 census, the population of the town is 4,557. It was founded in 1984 when the neighboring towns of Pinetop and Lakeside merged.
Pinetop–Lakeside is a po ...
.
Communities
*
Canyon Day
*
Carrizo
*
Cedar Creek
*
Cibecue
*
East Fork
*
Fort Apache
*
Hondah
*
McNary
*
North Fork
*
Rainbow City
*
Seven Mile
*
Turkey Creek
*
Whiteriver
Education
Young Elementary School District included sections of the reservation. In 1984 the Young district contracted with
Whiteriver Unified School District to educate the Fort Apache students, numbering about 200, due to roads being inaccessible between Fort Apache and Young.
[ ]
Clipping of first
an
of second page
at Newspapers.com. these parts of the reservation are now directly in Whiteriver USD.
See also
*
Apache
*
Art of the American Southwest
Art of the American Southwest is the visual arts of the Southwestern United States. This region encompasses Arizona, New Mexico, and parts of California, Colorado, Nevada, Texas, and Utah. These arts include architecture, ceramics, drawing, fi ...
*
Battle of Cibecue Creek
*
Battle of Fort Apache
The Battle of Fort Apache was an engagement of the Apache Wars between the cavalry garrison of Fort Apache and dozens of mounted White Mountain Apache warriors. The battle occurred in eastern Arizona Territory on September 1, 1881.
Battle
The n ...
*
Rattlesnake Fire (2018)
References
Fort Apache Reservation, ArizonaUnited States Census Bureau
*
* Goodwin, Grenville (1994). ''Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache''. University of Arizona Press
Footnotes
External links
*
Fort Apache Heritage Foundation Arizona Intertribal Council
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fort Apache Indian Reservation
American Indian reservations in Arizona
Geography of Apache County, Arizona
Geography of Gila County, Arizona
Geography of Navajo County, Arizona
Federally recognized tribes in the United States
Apache tribes
Mogollon Rim
Western Apache