The Buffalo Soldiers return to Fort Verde State Historic Park for living history and riding demonstrations

The Buffalo Soldiers are coming to Fort Verde to celebrate African American Heritage Month, in conjunction with the Town of Camp Verde’s 13th annual Pecan and Wine Festival. Mark the dates of: Saturday, February 16, 2013: 9 am - 5 pm & Sunday, February 17, 2013: 9 am - 1 pm.

The Buffalo Soldiers will present living history and horseback riding demonstrations and show 1870s period equipment & uniforms. In addition there is a Pecan Pie Contest (prior registration with park staff required).

Who or what are the Buffalo Soldiers?

Nearly 16 months after the Civil War ended, an Act of Congress was approved on July 28, 1866 and "authorized the formation of two regiments of cavalry composed of "colored" men. On September 21, 1866, the 9th Cavalry Regiment was activated at Greenville, Louisiana, and the 10th Cavalry Regiment was activated at Fort Leavenworth, Kansas. Troop I (10th Cavalry) came to Fort Verde in 1885.

The first regimental commanders were Colonel Edward Hatch (9th Cavalry) and Colonel Benjamin Grierson (10th Cavalry) under whose leadership the two units were trained, equipped and began a long and proud history. For over two decades, the 9th and 10th Cavalry Regiments conducted campaigns against Native American tribes on a western frontier that extended from Fore Verde State Historic Park to Texas, Montana, New Mexico, and Arizona.

They engaged in several skirmishes against such great chiefs as Quanah Parker, Victorio, Na-hah, and Geronimo. "Buffalo Soldiers" was the name given to the black troops by the Plains Indians because of the resemblance of the black man's hair to that of the buffalo's mane and also the ferocity with which they fought, much like the buffalo (bison) when cornered or wounded. When not engaged in combat on the frontier, both regiments built forts, roads, installed telegraph wires, escorted wagons trains and stage coaches, subdued rustlers, outlaws, and comancheros.

History of Fort Verde State Historic Park
Opened & Dedicated October 10, 1970

The site that is now Fort Verde State Historic Park was occupied by U.S. Army troops in the summer of 1870. Construction of the Fort began in 1871 and was completed by 1873. The Fort was an active primary military base during the Central Arizona Indian Wars and was abandoned in April 1891 and sold in small parcels at auction.

The current 11.25-acre Fort Verde State Historic Park contains four historic buildings, two ruins, three support structures, and a portion of the old parade ground, and is significant as the best surviving assemblage of Indian Wars era military architecture in the State, and is important as a unique site for interpreting a cultural conflict crucial to the development of Arizona.


For more information visit the Fort Verde State Historic Park website.

Educational and living history programs bring early American West history to life at Tubac Presidio SHP

For early Western America history buffs, a visit to Tubac Presidio State Historic Park will offer a look into the early days of what was then called New Spain, when Jesuit Father Francisco Kino established the Tumacacori mission in 1691. The area included what was then a small Pima village but soon became a farm and ranch to support the mission. 

Luis of Saric, a Pima chief stirred by many grievances against the Spanish, led a bloody revolt late in 1751, destroying the small settlement. Following a major battle, and subsequent surrender of the Pimans, the Presidio San Ignacio de Tubac was founded in June of 1752.  

Spanish colonists began moving in in the 1730s to farm and raise cattle, sheep, and goats on this northern frontier of Spain's new World. It was from Tubac that Juan Bautista de Anza led a group of several hundred colonists on an expedition overland to the Pacific which resulted in the founding of San Francisco in 1776.

You can learn more about Tubac, Tumacacori, and early California history through the various programs offered at the park. These include:

January 12, 18, & 20: Tubac Presidio SHP
Frontier Printing Press Demonstration
Jan. 12: 11 am - 3 pm; Jan. 18: 9 am - 1 pm; Jan. 20: 11 am - 3 pm. Professional printer and teacher James Pagels demonstrates the Washington Press used to print Arizona’s first newspaper in 1859 and answers questions about hand press printing, type setting, and other aspects of this marvel of industrial engineering. Included with park admission $5 adult, $2 youth 7-13, children free.

January 17: Tubac Presidio SHP
Rock Art of the Southwest
2 pm. Learn the difference between a pictograph and petroglyph with rock art enthusiast Sharon Urban. Urban worked for the Arizona State Museum, retiring after 32 years as the Public Archaeologist. An expert on prehistoric shell artifacts and the study of pictographs and petroglyphs, she has interpreted rock art sites and given presentations to schools and groups around Arizona. $7.50 adult, $4.50 youth 7-13, children free.

January 18: Living History: Tubac Presidio SHP
Foods of the Spanish Colonial Period
12:30 - 3:30 pm. Volunteers dressed in period clothing reenact the daily lives of Spanish soldiers and civilians who lived in Tubac during the Spanish Colonial period (1752-1776). Featuring a special display of the bounty of foods from the Old World, New World and surrounding desert used by Tubac cooks, plus cooking demos with samples. $5 adult, $2 youth 7-13, children free.

January 23 - Tubac Presidio SHP
Guided Tour of the Barrio de Tubac Archaeological Site
10:30 am. Special tour by local experts of the Spanish colonial archaeological site just south of the Park which preserves the remains of the original Tubac town site, including residence foundations, plaza area, refuse area and partial irrigation ditch. Meet at the Park’s Visitor Center. Tour involves a walk of about 1-1/4 miles. Bring walking shoes, sunscreen and hat. $7.50 fee includes admission to tour the Presidio Park. Tour limited to 15; call for reservations, 520-398-2252.

January 25 - Tubac Presidio SHP
Walking Tours of Old Town Tubac
10:30am-12 noon. Guided tours of the “Old Town” section of Tubac with Alice Keene. Explore the original adobe buildings and discover the rich heritage of Arizona’s first European settlement. Learn about early Native American inhabitants, Spanish explorers, mining booms, Apache attacks, kidnappings, duels and other episodes in Tubac’s colorful past. Meet at the Park’s Visitor Center. Allow 1-1/2 hours for the tour and bring walking shoes, sunscreen and a hat. $7.50 fee includes admission to tour the Presidio Park. Tour limited to 20 people; reservations encouraged.

January 25 - Tubac Presidio SHP
Living History: Medicine of the Spanish Colonial Period
noon - 3 pm. When the Spanish soldiers and their families settled Tubac in 1752, there was no doctor or surgeon among them. It was the responsibility of the women to treat their family's physical complaints and wounds. Medicine was basic and dependent on herbs and plants known for their healing properties. This living history program features a display of medicinal herbs and plants, and knowledgeable commentary by an herbalist who will tell visitors how these plants were used by “curanderas” (healers) to treat illness and injuries. $5 adult, $2 youth 7-13, children free.

January 25 - Tubac Presidio SHP
Fiber Arts Friday
10:30 am - 3 pm. When the Spanish soldiers and their families settled Tubac in 1752, there was no doctor or surgeon among them. It was the responsibility of the women to treat their family's physical complaints and wounds. Medicine was basic and dependent on herbs and plants known for their healing properties. This living history program features a display of medicinal herbs and plants, and knowledgeable commentary by an herbalist who will tell visitors how these plants were used by “curanderas” (healers) to treat illness and injuries. $5 adult, $2 youth 7-13, children free.