Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
486
A Memorable Museum in an Unlikely Locale
Amerind Foundation Museum It may be out-of-the-way and difficult to
find, but this museum is well worth seeking out. Established in 1937, the Amerind
Foundation has compiled one of the nation's finest private collections of Native Ameri-
can archaeological artifacts and contemporary pieces. There are exhibits on the dances
and religious ceremonies of the major Southwestern tribes and cases full of archaeological
artifacts amassed from the numerous Amerind Foundation excavations over the years.
Fascinating ethnology exhibits include amazingly intricate beadwork from the Plains
tribes, old Zuni fetishes, Pima willow baskets, old kachina dolls, 100 years of Southwest-
ern tribal pottery, and Navajo weavings. The art gallery displays works by 19th- and
20th-century American artists, such as Frederic Remington.
2100 N. Amerind Rd., Dragoon. & 520/586-3666. www.amerind.org. Admission $5 adults, $4 seniors, $3
college students and children 12-18, free for children 11 and under. Tues-Sun 10am-4pm. Closed major
holidays. Located 64 miles east of Tucson, btw. Benson and Willcox; take the Dragoon Rd. exit (exit 318)
from I-10, and continue 1 mile east.
EAST OF WILLCOX
Chiricahua National Monument Sea Captain, China Boy, Duck on a Rock,
Punch and Judy—these may not seem like appropriate names for landscape features, but
this is no ordinary landscape. These gravity-defying rock formations—called “the land of
the standing-up rocks” by the Apache and the “wonderland of rocks” by the pioneers—
are the equal of any of Arizona's many amazing rocky landmarks. Rank upon rank of
monolithic giants seem to have been turned to stone as they marched across the forested
Chiricahua Mountains. Formed about 25 million years ago by a massive volcanic erup-
tion, these rhyolite badlands were once the stronghold of renegade Apaches. If you look
closely at Cochise Head peak, you can even see the famous chief 's profile. If you're in
good physical condition, don't miss the chance to hike the 7.5-mile round-trip Heart of
Rocks Trail . This trail leads through the monument's most spectacular scenery. A
shorter loop is also possible. Also within the monument are a visitor center, a camp-
ground, a picnic area, and a scenic drive.
12856 E. Rhyolite Creek Rd. (off Ariz. 186). & 520/824-3560. www.nps.gov/chir. Admission $5 adults.
Visitor center daily 8am-4:30pm. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. From Willcox, drive southeast on
Ariz. 186 for 36 miles.
14
Fort Bowie National Historic Site The Butterfield Stage, which carried mail,
passengers, and freight across the Southwest in the mid-1800s, followed a route that
climbed up and over Apache Pass, in the heart of the Chiricahua Mountains' Apache
territory. In 1862, Fort Bowie was established near the mile-high pass to ensure the pas-
sage of the slow-moving stage as it traversed this difficult region. The fort was also used
to protect the water source for cavalry going east to fight the Confederate army in New
Mexico. Later, federal troops stationed at Fort Bowie battled Geronimo until, in 1886,
the Apache chief finally surrendered. Today, little more than Fort Bowie's crumbling
adobe walls remain, but the hike along the old stage route to the ruins conjures up the
ghosts of Geronimo and the Indian Wars.
3203 S. Old Fort Bowie Rd. (off Ariz. 186). & 520/847-2500. www.nps.gov/fobo. Free admission. Visitor
center daily 8am-4:30pm; grounds daily dawn-dusk. Closed Thanksgiving and Christmas. From Willcox,
drive southeast on Ariz. 186; after about 20 miles, watch for signs; it's another 8 miles up a dirt road to
the trail head. Alternatively, drive east from Willcox to Bowie and go 13 miles south on Apache Pass Rd.
From the trail head, it's a 1.5-mile hike to the fort.
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