Fort Grant (Graham County, Arizona)

Graham County · Arizona · Apache Wars

Quick BriefFort Grant was established on December 19, 1872, at the foot of Mount Graham by direction of General Crook. In January 1873, eleven companies of cavalry and infantry were transferred to Fort Grant under the command of Major Brown. It played a prominent role in the Apache Wars of the 1880s, and the Army abandoned it in 1905, transferring all troops to Fort Huachuca.

History & Significance

Following the Camp Grant Massacre, the United States Army post at "old" Camp Grant was relocated to the southwestern slope of Mount Graham in what is now Graham County. Malaria at the "old" Camp Grant along the San Pedro River had been a continual problem, making relocation strategically and health-wise necessary.

The garrison was tasked with intercepting Apache groups fleeing the San Carlos Reservation and pursuing cross-border raiding parties. A pivotal incident occurred in 1881–1882: Following the Battle of Cibecue Creek on August 30, 1881, three Apache scouts were subsequently court-martialed, and on March 3, 1882, they were executed by firing squad on the fort's parade ground.

In 1888, Buffalo Soldiers of the 10th Cavalry were stationed at Fort Grant, participating in duties such as the infamous Wham Paymaster Robbery of May 11, 1889. In 1900, the fort was repurposed as a staging point for soldiers going to the Philippines to fight in the Philippine–American War. After military abandonment, following Arizona's admission to statehood on February 14, 1912, the federal government deeded Fort Grant to the new state as an industrial reformatory, initially admitting both boys and girls, including children as young as eight.