Post Cemetery

The Post Cemetery predated the establishment of Fort Bowie, with soldiers of the California Column interred there in 1862. The area remained unfenced until 1878, when a four-foot adobe wall was built to protect the graves from desecration by post livestock. In early 1885, a picket fence replaced the adobe wall, and by 1887 headstones replaced the wooden headboards; some bore only the words “Unknown. Killed by Apaches.” Among those buried there was Medal of Honor recipient O.O. Spence. The cemetery also held military dependents, civilian employees, emigrants, mail carriers, and three Apache children, including Geronomino’s two-year-old son. Five months after the fort closed, the remains of 72 soldiers, dependents, and “Unknowns” were removed for reinterment at the San Francisco National Cemetery, while twenty-three civilian graves remained.

Arizona · United States