Fort Bowie National Historic Site

Fort Bowie National Historic Site was declared a National Historic Landmark on December 19, 1960, and then proclaimed a National Register of Historic Places on August 30, 1964, before eventually being set-up on July 29, 1972. The park is today governed by the National Park Service and encompasses a total area of approximately 1,000 acres that is located in southeastern Arizona and about 116 miles east of Tucson. 

To access the Fort Bowie National Historic Site, visitors from Wilcox should find the I-10 and then drive about 22 miles south on AZ 186 before finding a dirt road leading east into Apache Pass. Those coming from Bowie on the I-10 should drive south for about 12 miles to the Apache Pass.

When visitors get to the historic site, they will find several attractions. First, the site preserves part of the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. This was a stagecoach service that operated between 1857 and 1861 and ferried passengers and U.S. Mail from two eastern termini, Memphis (Tennessee), and St. Louis, (Missouri) all the way to San Francisco (California). 

More notably, however, the historic site is better known as the place where a fort was built in 1862 to orchestrate military operations against Geronimo and his Apache tribe. The operations eventually culminated in the surrender of Geronimo in 1886 and the banishment of the Chiricahuas to Alabama and Florida. 

Besides these historical and cultural attractions, the Fort Bowie National Historic Site is also a place where visitors can get to enjoy recreational activities like hiking, wildlife viewing, and birdwatching. Some of the amenities available at the historic site include restrooms, self-guided trails, and a museum. 

Fort Bowie National Historic Site also welcomes visitors with dogs, although like other national parks, dog owners should always ensure that their tail-waggers remain well behaved and under their immediate control. Additionally, dogs should be kept away from restricted areas of the national historic site.