The Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in Cochise County, Arizona. The range is about 25 mi (40 km) long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox. The name originates from the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Dragoons who battled the

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehende ...

, including Cochise, during the Apache Wars. The Dragoons established posts around 1856 after the

Gadsden Purchase The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...

made it a U.S. territory.

Geography

The range is south of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pl ...

, between the

Whetstone Mountains The Whetstone Mountains is a mountain range in Cochise County, southeastern Arizona. Geography The range is located south of Interstate 10, between the Santa Rita Mountains to the west, and the Dragoon Mountains to the east. Higher elevation ...

to the west, and

Chiricahua Mountains The Chiricahua Mountains massif is a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico; the range is part of the Coronado National Forest. ...

to the east. Higher elevations of the major ranges in the region are in the

Madrean Sky Islands The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are s ...

ecoregion, with

sky island Sky islands are topographic isolation, isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated montane ecosystems, hi ...

habitats. Mount Glenn (7,520 ft/2,292 m) is the highest point in the range. The

Little Dragoon Mountains The Little Dragoon Mountains, are included in the Douglas Ranger District of Coronado National Forest, in Cochise County, Arizona. The summit of the range is the center peak of the three Mae West Peaks, 6 miles northwest of Dragoon, Arizona. The ...

are the continuation of the Dragoon Mountains north of

Texas Canyon Texas Canyon is a valley in Cochise County, Arizona, about 20 miles east of Benson on Interstate 10. Lying between the Little Dragoon Mountains to the north and the Dragoon Mountains to the south and known for its giant granite boulders, the ...

. The mountains were included in the short-lived

Dragoon National Forest Dragoon National Forest was established in Arizona on May 25, 1907, with . On July 1, 1908, it was combined with Santa Catalina National Forest and Santa Rita National Forest to create Coronado National Forest. The name was discontinued. The fore ...

, which was established in 1907 and combined into

Coronado National Forest The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is located in parts of ...

in 1908. The area is now included in the Douglas Ranger District.

History

The warrior

Cochise Cochise (; Apache: ''Shi-ka-She'' or ''A-da-tli-chi'', lit.: ''having the quality or strength of an oak''; later ''K'uu-ch'ish'' or ''Cheis'', lit. ''oak''; June 8, 1874) was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principa ...

and his army defeated a small force of Confederate soldiers here at the

First Battle of Dragoon Springs The First Battle of Dragoon Springs was a minor skirmish between a small troop of Confederate dragoons of Governor John R. Baylor's Arizona Rangers, and a band of Apache warriors during the American Civil War. It was fought on May 5, 1862, ...

but was defeated at the

Second Battle of Dragoon Springs The Second Battle of Dragoon Springs was one of two skirmishes involving Apache warriors and Confederate soldiers in Arizona. It was fought during the American Civil War on May 9, 1862, and was a response to the First Battle of Dragoon Sprin ...

a few days later. Cochise Stronghold Memorial Park lies near Mount Glenn on the eastern slope of the range and the historic town of Tombstone can be found at the southwestern portion of the range. There are also several

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * Ghost Town (1936 film), ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * Ghost Town (1956 film), ''Ghost Town'' ...

s in the Dragoon Mountains including Gleeson and Courtland.

Climbing History

The earliest known roped, technical climbing in Cochise Stronghold took place in 1966, involving John Rupley and Fred Becky making a first ascent of a route on Vortex Dome. In 1967 a set of climbers including Joanna McComb, Merle Wheeler, Don Morris and Dan Jones made several attempts to top out Rockfellow Dome, the highest of the summits in this tight group. Although they did not succeed in reaching that particular summit they established high quality routes while maintaining a bold and clean climbing ethic. In 1972 Dave Baker (founder of Summit Hut in Tucson), Mark Axon and Mike McEwenbegan climbing in Cochise. Eventually others including Gary Axen, Kem Johnson, Jake Bender, Scott Williams, Gary Hervert and Marti Woerner joined this group. This group eventually completed ascents of Rockfellow Dome, End Pinnacle and Cochise Dome. They touched off what is known as the Golden Age of first ascents in Cochise. Later notable climbers who were responsible for establishing routes in the area included Steve Grossman, John Steiger and Paul Davidson. In 1979 this trio succeeded in climbing a route they named “As the Wind Cries” to the top of Chey Deas Tsay, the only dome remaining in Cochise Stronghold that had not yet been ascended.Hundal at 33

Additional reading

* ToofastTopos 2, Cochise Stronghold Rock Climbing. Author: Geir Hundal, (2018).

References

External links

Cochise Stronghold

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Cochise County, Arizona Madrean Sky Islands mountain ranges Coronado National Forest Cochise County conflict Mountain ranges of Arizona