Fort Apache Indian Reservation

<h2 id="history">History</h2>
<p class="note">Further information: <a href="/facts/Western_Apache_people/Ax5fNSF9">Western Apache people</a> and <a href="/facts/Apacheria/U63w0zLF">Apacheria</a></p>
<p>Apache is a colonial classification term for the White Mountain Apache and all other Apache peoples. The White Mountain Apache consisted of three major groups that were made up of sub-groups called bands and <a href="/facts/Clans/xvdhrCHz">clans</a>, within which were families. There were clan rules controlling marriages between persons of families in different clans.
</p><p>The largest of these three groups were collectively known as "On Top of Mountains People", the second major group was known as "Many Go to War People", and the last was known as "At the Base of the Mountains People". These names in indigenous White Mountain Apache dialect predate relations with the United States. Some contemporary White Mountain Apache have urged the adoption and use of these terms for the three major groups.
</p>

<p>The <a href="/facts/United_States_Army/WACWBEK9">United States Army</a>'s <a href="/facts/U.S._Cavalry/05jcqnJN">U.S. Cavalry</a> military post, of <a href="/facts/Fort_Apache%2c_Arizona/BQ3zDr2l">Fort Apache</a>, now the <a href="/facts/Fort_Apache_Historic_Park/FE5jFMm4">Fort Apache Historic Park</a>, originally called Camp Apache, was established by the  Army in 1870 at the suggestion of the White Mountain Apache leadership. They knew that the neighboring  <a href="/facts/Navajo/phXNDqz5">Navajo</a> were resisting <a href="/facts/U.S._federal_government/VJCxUaf7">U.S. federal government</a> supervision. After warfare, the U.S. forced the Navajo and <a href="/facts/Mescalero_Apache/hIoSoa7s">Mescalero Apache</a> on the <a href="/facts/Long_Walk_of_the_Navajo/HXbqysjJ">Long March</a> to relocate to <a href="/facts/Fort_Sumner/LJl7Fh1W">Fort Sumner</a> further east in the <a href="/facts/New_Mexico_Territory/D19QTG3t">New Mexico Territory</a> in 1863–1864, where they were held nearby at <a href="/facts/Bosque_Redondo/LJl7Fh1W">Bosque Redondo</a> for years. They were finally allowed to return to their southwestern  homeland in 1868.
</p><p>In 1871 General <a href="/facts/George_Crook/keketeBu">George Crook</a> enrolled 50 White Mountain Apache men to serve as <a href="/facts/Apache_scouts/TphChvDg">scouts</a> for his army during the <a href="/facts/Apache_Wars/ENxSrPr9">Apache Wars</a>, which lasted intermittently for 15 years. These wars ended with the surrender of <a href="/facts/Chiricahua/ICe7GVrb">Chiricahua</a> leader <a href="/facts/Geronimo/433IP1wN">Geronimo</a> in 1886. Because of the scouts' service to General Crook during the Apache Wars, he worked to enable the White Mountain Apache tribe to keep a large portion of their homeland as their reservation (named for them).
</p><p>Four decades later in 1922, four years after the end of the <a href="/facts/World_War_I/vITTUanQ">First World War</a> (1914/1917-1918), the <a href="/facts/United_States_Army/WACWBEK9">United States Army</a> left Fort Apache, which was surrounded by the reservation. It was transferred to the jurisdiction of the civilian <a href="/facts/United_States_Department_of_the_Interior/uWllgxWx">United States Department of the Interior</a>'s <a href="/facts/Bureau_of_Indian_Affairs/WjzPw4dz">Bureau of Indian Affairs</a> in 1923 for further use. The BIA established an <a href="/facts/American_Indian_boarding_schools/N1lpXU0o">Indian Boarding School</a> here in order to continue to make further 
use of these facilities. It was named after 26th <a href="/facts/President_of_the_United_States/oMsfmLb1">President</a> <a href="/facts/Theodore_Roosevelt/WzUPbcbo">Theodore Roosevelt</a> (1858-1919, served 1901-1909).<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a>
</p><p>The school was designated as a <a href="/facts/National_Historic_Landmark/gSl4aEdv">National Historic Landmark</a> in 2012, as a contributing part of <a href="/facts/Fort_Apache_Historic_Park/FE5jFMm4">Fort Apache Historic Park</a>. The entire former military complex was recognized, as well as the role of the school in tribal assimilation.
</p><p>The White Mountain Apache now operate the Roosevelt Indian School as a tribally controlled middle-school facility.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> They have a contractual arrangement with the Bureau of Indian Education, which funds the school.
</p>
<h2 id="government">Government</h2>
<p>The White Mountain Apache created their own constitution under the <a href="/facts/Indian_Reorganization_Act/gN7cxqIs">Indian Reorganization Act</a> of 1934. In 1936 they elected a tribal council that governs the tribe and reservation. It oversees all tribe-owned property, local businesses, and governance.
</p>
<h2 id="geography">Geography</h2>
<p>The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is covered mostly by pine forests and is habitat to a variety of forest wildlife. It is located directly south of the <a href="/facts/Mogollon_Rim/gzM7d4YJ">Mogollon Rim</a>. The highest point in the reservation is <a href="/facts/Mount_Baldy_(Arizona)/6U9cMT9B">Baldy Peak</a>, with an elevation of 11,403 feet (3,476 m).
</p>
<h2 id="economy">Economy</h2>

<p>The tribe operates the <a href="/facts/Sunrise_Park_Resort/5xPY8E6b">Sunrise ski resort</a> and the Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a> It has built the Apache Cultural Center & Museum, constructed in the traditional style of a <i>gowa.</i>
</p><p>Other attractions within the reservation include the Fort Apache Historic Park, which has 27 buildings surviving of the historic fort and a 288-acre (117 ha) <a href="/facts/National_Historic_Landmark_District/gSl4aEdv">National Historic District</a>; and other historic sites.
</p><p><a href="/facts/Kinishba_Ruins/dr32g4em">Kinishba Ruins</a>, an ancient <a href="/facts/Archeological/K3Q5P38R">archeological</a> site (1150–1350 CE) of the western <a href="/facts/Pueblo/Yf07mDIS">Pueblo</a> culture, is a <a href="/facts/National_Historic_Landmark/gSl4aEdv">National Historic Landmark</a>. It is located on nearby associated tribal trust lands. Appointments may be made to visit the site.
</p>
<h2 id="demographics">Demographics</h2>
<p>According to the US Census Bureau, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, which is located in Navajo County, is developed with small communities. North Fork, Whiteriver, Fort Apache, East Fork, Rainbow City, Cibecue, Hon-Dah, McNary, Turkey Creek, and Seven Mile are the communities, comprising a total population of 22,036 in 2010 on the reservation.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="transportation">Transportation</h2>
<p>The White Mountain Apache Tribe operates the Fort Apache Connection Transit, which provides local bus service.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:6" href="#fn:6"><sup>6</sup></a> The <a href="/facts/Show_Low%2c_Arizona/pl4v1Ygf">City of Show Low</a> operates the Four Seasons Connection, which provides service from the <a href="/facts/Hondah%2c_Arizona/wNIdvWFH">Hondah</a> Casino to Show Low and <a href="/facts/Pinetop-Lakeside%2c_Arizona/4JawsAg0">Pinetop-Lakeside</a>.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:7" href="#fn:7"><sup>7</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="communities">Communities</h2>

<ul><li><a href="/facts/Canyon_Day%2c_Arizona/Ac7pUku3">Canyon Day</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Carrizo%2c_Arizona/0mk1t9qv">Carrizo</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Cedar_Creek%2c_Arizona/TlRLhUaS">Cedar Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Cibecue%2c_Arizona/vtffypMS">Cibecue</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/East_Fork%2c_Arizona/a7bksujz">East Fork</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Fort_Apache%2c_Arizona/BQ3zDr2l">Fort Apache</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Hondah%2c_Arizona/wNIdvWFH">Hondah</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/McNary%2c_Arizona/xxNWTkAt">McNary</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/North_Fork%2c_Arizona/BwF5IluH">North Fork</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Rainbow_City%2c_Arizona/H16m5xDv">Rainbow City</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Seven_Mile%2c_Arizona/j6uDevEH">Seven Mile</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Turkey_Creek%2c_Arizona/s3rdhDtD">Turkey Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Whiteriver%2c_Arizona/X9MHL6eA">Whiteriver</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="education">Education</h2>

<p><a href="/facts/Young_Elementary_School_District/qt8Io3MS">Young Elementary School District</a> included sections of the reservation. In 1984 the Young district contracted with <a href="/facts/Whiteriver_Unified_School_District/um4GsLbJ">Whiteriver Unified School District</a> to educate the Fort Apache students, numbering about 200, due to roads being inaccessible between Fort Apache and Young.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:8" href="#fn:8"><sup>8</sup></a> As of 2020<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Fort_Apache_Indian_Reservation&action=edit">[update]</a> these parts of the reservation are now directly in Whiteriver USD.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:9" href="#fn:9"><sup>9</sup></a>
</p>
<h2 id="notable-people">Notable people</h2>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Dustinn_Craig/VaAR8ejG">Dustinn Craig</a> (White Mountain Apache/<a href="/facts/Din%25C3%25A9/phXNDqz5">Diné</a>), filmmaker and skateboarder<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:10" href="#fn:10"><sup>10</sup></a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Emmet_Crawford/msmgI0Un">Emmet Crawford</a> (1844-1886), military commander</li></ul>
<h2 id="see-also">See also</h2>
<ul>
<li>Arizona portal</li></ul>
<ul><li><a href="/facts/Apache/lLKsj4HL">Apache</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Art_of_the_American_Southwest/U2KpUHrL">Art of the American Southwest</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Battle_of_Cibecue_Creek/KhvljVbt">Battle of Cibecue Creek</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Battle_of_Fort_Apache/dVRbjeYC">Battle of Fort Apache</a></li>
<li><a href="/facts/Rattlesnake_Fire_(2018)/aFJ4Vfoc">Rattlesnake Fire (2018)</a></li></ul>

<ul><li><a href="https://www.census.gov">Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona</a> United States Census Bureau</li>
<li><a href="/facts/Pliny_Earle_Goddard/vMPBDadB">Goddard, Pliny Earle</a> (1920). <a href="https://archive.org/details/whitemountainap00goddgoog"><i>White Mountain Apache texts</i></a>. The Trustees. Retrieved 24 August 2012.</li>
<li>Goodwin, Grenville (1994). <i>Myths and Tales of the White Mountain Apache</i>. University of Arizona Press [<i>ISBN missing</i>]</li></ul>
<h3>Footnotes</h3>

<h2 id="external-links">External links</h2>

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Fort Apache Indian Reservation.

<ul><li><a href="http://www.wmat.nsn.us/">Official website</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110125234215/http://fortapachearizona.org/photogallery">Fort Apache Heritage Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20110927131821/http://www.itcaonline.com/tribes_whitemtn.html">White Mountain Apache Tribe</a>, Arizona Intertribal Council</li>
<li><a href="https://edits.nationalmap.gov/apps/gaz-domestic/public/search/names/47541">U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Fort Apache Reservation (Gila County)</a></li></ul>

<h2 id="references">References</h2>

<ol>
<li id="fn:1"><p>Fort Apache Reservation, Arizona, United States Census Bureau <a href="https://www.census.gov" target="_blank">https://www.census.gov</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:2"><p>For a full history of the school and description as of 1970, see online / internet website: http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/ref/collection/feddocs/id/1573 <a href="http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/ref/collection/feddocs/id/1573" target="_blank">http://azmemory.azlibrary.gov/cdm/ref/collection/feddocs/id/1573</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:3"><p>"Fort Apache Earns Historic Designation for Role in Tribal Assimilation", Cronkite News online, March 2012 <a href="http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/03/fort-apache-earns-historic-designation-for-role-in-tribal-assimilation/" target="_blank">http://cronkitenewsonline.com/2012/03/fort-apache-earns-historic-designation-for-role-in-tribal-assimilation/</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:4"><p>"Home". Hon-Dah Resort Casino and Conference Center. <a href="https://hon-dah.com/" target="_blank">https://hon-dah.com/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:5"><p>https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-4.pdf [bare URL PDF] <a href="https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-4.pdf" target="_blank">https://www.census.gov/prod/cen2010/cph-2-4.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:6"><p>"Tribal Transportation". WMAT DOT. Retrieved 2020-02-03. <a href="https://www.wmatdot.com" target="_blank">https://www.wmatdot.com</a> <a href="#fnref:6" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:7"><p>"White Mountain Connection". Show Low, AZ - Official Website. Archived from the original on 2020-02-03. Retrieved 2020-01-22. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20200203015404/https://showlowaz.gov/271/White-Mountain-Connection" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20200203015404/https://showlowaz.gov/271/White-Mountain-Connection</a> <a href="#fnref:7" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:8"><p>Shaffer, Mark (1984-06-17). "Rural schools leaping at 4-day week". The Arizona Republic. Phoenix, Arizona. pp. B1, B10. - Clipping of first and of second page at Newspapers.com. <a href="/wiki/The_Arizona_Republic" target="_blank">/wiki/The_Arizona_Republic</a> <a href="#fnref:8" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:9"><p>"2020 CENSUS - SCHOOL DISTRICT REFERENCE MAP: Gila County, AZ" (PDF). U.S. Census Bureau. Retrieved 2022-01-30. <a href="https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st04_az/schooldistrict_maps/c04007_gila/DC20SD_C04007.pdf" target="_blank">https://www2.census.gov/geo/maps/DC2020/PL20/st04_az/schooldistrict_maps/c04007_gila/DC20SD_C04007.pdf</a> <a href="#fnref:9" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
<li id="fn:10"><p>Campagna, Jeff (11 June 2009). ""Ramp It Up: Skateboard Culture in Native America" Opens Friday". Smithsonian Magazine. Smithsonian Institution. Retrieved 25 November 2024. <a href="https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ramp-it-up-skateboard-culture-in-native-america-opens-friday-8959696/" target="_blank">https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/ramp-it-up-skateboard-culture-in-native-america-opens-friday-8959696/</a> <a href="#fnref:10" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li>
</ol>

Fort Apache Indian Reservation open-in-new

Fort Apache Indian Reservation