44...continued from page 16teams, Geronimo decided to make arun for it. He reasoned no word fromGeneral Crook meant that the citizensof Tucson and the ranchers and theminers had persuaded the general tohave him taken to prison, tried andhung. The newspapers had suggestedthat as Geronimo’s fate. It was theUnited States Army’s General Crookwho kept the Apaches safe from thefury of Arizona’s citizens as long as theystayed on the reservation…Late in the afternoon of May 18,Geronimo persuaded Chihuahua, achief and the leader of a majority ofthe Apaches, to leave after telling himthat three Indians had been sent to Lt.Davis’ tent to kill him.So more than 50 braves armed withSpringfield and Winchester rifles andmounted on their ponies along withtheir women and children trailed out ofcamp, headed for the Mexican borderand their hideouts in the Sierra Madre.When Davis heard of their leavinghe hurried to his tent just missing theApaches who intended to kill him.They had been sent off by guards Davisassigned to watch his tent.Serving Santa Cruz County Since 1989“Your largest assetshould be the strongest.Build your foundationtoday with us!”Purchase • Refinance • Construction • And MoreDavid Hrncirik(800) 333-8262(520) 885-9594ventanamortgage.comWhen he tried to wire GeneralCrook that the Indians had gone, thelieutenant found the line was dead. TheApaches, experienced at delaying thearmy’s pursuit when they broke out,cut the telegraph wire in the fork of atree, then bound the ends together sothat from the ground the cut was notvisible. When finally a courier broughtthe message to General Crook he senttelegrams to newspaper editors, and tothe governors of the territories of NewMexico and Arizona and the Mexicanstates of Sonora and Chihuahua statingthat “About 50 Chiricahua Apachesunder Geronimo left reservation nearFort Apache about dark last night andare thought to be making for Mexico.Troops are in pursuit and are sent outfrom all points to intercept them, but Ideem it prudent to advise you that youmay warn the citizens.”The Tucson Citizen’s headline in boldblack letters taking up the front pagewas “The Apaches Are Out.” Minersand ranchers fled to the safety ofTucson, Tombstone or Globe.General Crook at Fort Bowie preparedhimself for another chase afterGeronimo. He collectedhis scouts, most of themWhite Mountain Apaches,not Chiracahua. Hismethod was to send scoutsto trail the hostiles, asthey called the Indians,with cavalry and infantryfollowing. Crook believedan Apache was the bestman to track anotherApache. They couldfollow on foot the trail ofGeronimo and like himwere trained to live off theland. An Apache could go48 hours without water,controlling his thirst witha pebble in his mouth, andhe knew all the water holesVillage CounselingChristine A. Bates, Ph.DLicensed PsychologistAdult Psychotherapy for Individuals and Couples,focusing on change, transition, recovery, and growthSouthern Arizona HistoryGeronimo and the Generals Chapter 2. The Chase 1885and how to live off the land.Crook’s scouts prepared themselvesfor the campaign by washing theirhair, sharpening their knives, cleaningtheir guns and making an extra pairof moccasins. Apache moccasins wereleggings of buckskin reaching up tothe thigh with a raw hide sole runningbeyond the great toe and turnedupward. The leggings protected theirlegs from the high grasses in this valleyand the bent toe was a shield fromcactus and sharp stones. The scoutsdistinguished themselves by wearing ared flannel band around their heads.Otherwise they dressed in Apachefashion, wearing the traditional loincloth and an American jacket or shirt.The scouts painted their faces withred ochre or deer’s blood to protectthemselves from the sun and windand to distinguish themselves incombat against other Apaches. Inbattle Geronimo’s Apaches identifiedthemselves by slashes of white across ontheir faces.Crook sent out his scouts in groupsof 20 or 30 under the leadership of anarmy officer. Those officers were hischose few. To keep the Apaches fromraiding on this side of the border therest of his troops were stationed atpasses out of Mexico and at water holesor near large ranches and mine fromthe Patagonia Mountains to the RioGrande. But Geronimo and the otherbands made it back several times topick up ammunition for the Americanguns. Once they raided their reservationwhere they killed any Indians theycould catch in punishment for notjoining them and took some squaws.Then in late May a band, not necessarilyunder Geronimo, killed a family inNew Mexico, a father, mother and twosmall children, three and five. The oldestwas found hanging from a meat hookwhich had been stuck in the back ofher head. She was alive, taken downand brought to Silver City where shedied. This publicized atrocity, said to becommitted by the squaws, infuriatedthe border country. To the Indians thesewere revenge for atrocities by the whiteeyes.Meanwhile Crook’s scouts weresearching for Geronimo’s main campin the Sierra Madre Mountains. Finallyin early January 1886 the scouts ofCaptain Emmet Crawford, sightedthe camp on a high ridge. Scouts andsoldiers made their way to the base ofthe camp and from there set out on foottoward it on a moonless night, climbingup cliffs and stumbling throughcanyons. At dawn the attack was madewith scouts coming in on all sides. Thecamp with its horses, dried meat andsupplies was taken but the Apachesescaped, as usual. They were warned byburros on the mountainside braying asthe scouts approached.The discovery of his main campwas enough for Geronimo. He hadbeen running since May not onlyfrom American soldiers but fromthe Mexican militia in the towns theApaches had been raiding. Geronimodecided to surrender to the Americans.He knew the Mexicans would kill himand so a woman was sent to Crawford’scamp asking for talks.There was a delay when Crawfordwas killed by Mexican militia stalkingApaches. These Mexicans approachedhis camp thinking it was Apache andstarted shooting. When Crawfordand other officers came out wavinghandkerchiefs and calling in Spanishthat they were Americans, one of theMexicans shot Crawford in the head.This tragedy postponed Geronimo’ssurrender offer briefly. Two more ofhis women were sent in for talks andCrawford’s next in command, Lt.Marion Maus, took Geronimo’s brotheras hostage. Geronimo named the placeof surrender, Canon do los Ambudos,and promised to be there in two moons.Two months later, in mid-March,General Crook set out from CampBowie with his interpreters and aphotographer from Tombstone. Thegeneral seated on his mule Apache, rodeto the meeting place expecting it to bethe scene of Geronimo’s final surrender.For information or to schedule an appointment, call 520.820.1678112
Southern Arizona History<strong>Tubac</strong> & Tucsonthe Final Years of Mexican Rule 1848-1856...continued from page 1345Where a dog can be a dog!companions obtained an American flag fromEdward Miles, a local merchant, lashed togetherseveral mesquite poles for a flagstaff, and raisedthe stars and stripes over the roof of Miles’ adobestore.Whether it was ignorance or exuberance, it canbe assumed that the handful of Americans onhand for the event felt like celebrating. A Tucsonwebsite (EMAT) claims that the companionswere two Irishmen, Paddy Burke and William H.Finley; while the Center for Desert Archaeologyidentifies them as Theodore Green Rush andJohn Muncie.March 10, 1856 was not the first time that theAmerican flag had flown over Tucson. Ten yearsearlier, Lieutenant Colonel Philip St. GeorgeCooke and the Mormon Battalion is reported tohave raised the flag over Tucson. The battalionwas headed for California. The Mexican armywithdrew from Tucson allowing the battalionto overnight and buy supplies without aconfrontation.Officer gives us this final scene concerning thedeparture of the Mexican troops and civiliansfrom Tucson:As the soldiers and civilian headed south, theyencountered an unusually heavy March storm.Both groups were delayed but those in Elías’party may have suffered the most. Recallingthe event many years later, Elías said they lefton foot, travelling (sic) as far as <strong>Tubac</strong> beforeresting. The children cried of hunger and someof the older people were close to death. Still, theyreached Santa Cruz and settled there with theremnants of the <strong>Tubac</strong> garrison that had beentransferred some time before.Next month: Major Enoch Steen: Camp Moore,Arizona’s (Calabasas) 1st U.S. Military SiteSources:-Dobyns, Henry F., Spanish Colonial Tucson.... Tucson: The University ofArizona Press, 1976.-Dobyns, Henry F., <strong>Tubac</strong> Through Four Centuries.... Tucson: Reformattedby the <strong>Tubac</strong> Presidio State Historic Park, June 1995.-Bents, Doris W. “The history of <strong>Tubac</strong>, 1752-1948.” MA Thesis, Universityof Arizona, 1949.-Officer, James E., Hispanic Arizona, 1536-1856. Tucson: University ofArizona Press, 1987.-Kessell, John L., Friars, Soldiers, and Reformers.... Tucson: The Universityof Arizona Press, 1976.-Sacks, B., “The Origins of Fort Buchanan: Myth and Fact.” Arizona and theWest, (Tucson: The University of Arizona Press, Autumn 1965.)-Sheridan, Thomas E., Los Tucsonenses.... Tucson: The University ofArizona Press, 1986.-http://www.emat-tucson.org/Ireland/People.html-http://www.cdarc.org/pages/heritage/rio_nuevo/people/t_fam.phpCrafting FineJewelry for 26 YearsTrainingBoardingDay CareAlysoun SeacatCertified Animal TrainerVeterinary Technicianwww.adogslife-az.comaly@adogslife-az.comOn-SiteQuality RepairFast, Dependable Service69A W. Esperanza (Green Valley Mall)520 648-1899Mon - Sat 8-5 -Closed Sunday
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