Fort Bowie was built in 1862 in the Chiricahua Mountains to protect the U.S. Mail route and settlers heading west to the California gold fields. The fort served as the base of operations during the Apache Wars (1861-1886), the U.S. Army's ultimately successful series of campaigns to quell raiding and warfare by the Chiricahua Apaches in Arizona and Mexico. Fort Bowie was officially abandoned in 1894. The area includes stabilized adobe walls from the fort's many buildings, the stone foundations of the Apache Pass Station of the Butterland Overland Mail Route, and the post cemetery.

Fort Bowie National Historic Site is 12 miles south of Bowie, Arizona, at Apache Pass. The site can only be reached by traveling the last 1.5 miles on foot. The Visitor Center is open from 8:00am to 5:00pm daily, except for Christmas Day. Ruins Trail hours are from sunrise to sunset. The peak season is from March until May. Please call 520-847-2500, or visit the Fort Bowie National Historic Site website for further information. Fort Bowie and Apache Pass is a National Historic Landmark.

Credits and Sources:

National Park Service. "Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary American Southwest, A National Register of Historic Places Travel Itinerary: List of Sites." http://www.nps.gov/nr/travel/amsw/sitelist.htm.