Fort Apache Arizona
Fort Apache is located in east central Arizona. It is home to the White Mountain Apache tribe. Its area encompasses more than 1.6 million acres in portions of Navajo, Apache and Gila counties.
The town was established as Camp Ord in the spring of 1870 which was named after Gen. O.C. Ord, the Commander of Arizona at the time. The post has changed its name a few times from Camp Mogollan in August 1, 1870 to Camp Thomas in September 12, 1870 which was in honor of Major General George W. Thomas who was famed for being “The Rock of Chickamauga” during the civil war. Then on February 2, 1871, it was renamed Camp Apache as a token of friendship with the nearby tribe. Finally on April 5, 1879, it was renamed Fort Apache which gained great significance since many tribes gathered in the nearby San Carlos Reservation.
During the first 20 years of its existence, the friendship between the neighboring tribes and soldiers were strained. Bands of Indians led by a famous warrior named Geronimo were fought and pursued by Fort Apache troops until his surrender in 1886. The fort remained in operation until 1924 then it was converted to a school when it was turned to the Bureau of Indian Affairs that same year.
According to U.S. Census 2000, Fort Apache has a population of 12,429.
