Seven miles north of this point, a band of Apache Indians were defeated by United States troops on July 17, 1882. A group of tribesmen from the San Carlos Apache reservation had attacked nearby ranches, killing several settlers. Cavalry and Indian scouts were immediately sent into the field in search of the hostiles. Five troops of cavalry and one troop of Indian scouts converged on the Apaches and surrounded them at Big Dry Wash. After four hours of stubborn fighting, the resistance of the Indians was broken. The casualties were two soldiers and more than twenty Apaches.