A Cornerstone of Buffalo Soldier
History in Arizona
Groundbreaking News!
On January 30, 2025, the Naco Heritage Alliance (NHA) reached a critical milestone. Working with our partner Durazo Construction Corporation we took the plunge and broke ground, formally beginning Phase One of the rehabilitation of Camp Naco. Find out more about the event HERE
Jeremy Fricke Named Camp Naco's First
Executive Director
The Naco Heritage Alliance is excited to welcome
Jeremy Fricke as the organization's first Executive
Director! He will oversee the Camp Naco project in partnership with the City of Bisbee.
Our vision is to preserve Camp Naco as a destination that:
1
Honors the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers in the American Southwest
2
Advances the diverse arts, culture, & history of the Arizona Borderlands
3
Serves as a community resource for
the residents of Naco, Arizona
Discover the History
With the outbreak of the Mexican Revolution in 1910, commanders at Fort Huachuca established tent camp at the point where the El Paso and Southwestern railroad line crossed the border into Mexico, at Naco, Arizona. It was initially manned by the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry, and later the 25th Infantry, collectively known as the Buffalo Soldiers. Its mission was to protect the railroad, prevent smuggling, and maintain the peace.
In 1919 a permanent camp, named Camp Naco, was constructed by the US War Department’s Mexican Border Defense Construction Project, a response to unsettled conditions along the US/Mexico border. Part of a 1,200-mile chain of thirty-five permanent military camps, Camp Naco was one of only two constructed of adobe. When the camps were decommissioned in 1923, most were deconstructed so that their materials could be used elsewhere, but Camp Naco, built of adobe, remained in place. As a result, it remains the only camp to retain its historic integrity today.
Naco Heritage Alliance
Thanks to the efforts of a dedicated group of archaeologists, military historians, Buffalo Soldiers and local citizens, a non-profit 501(c)3 organization, the Naco Heritage Alliance, was created to preserve Camp Naco. Because of their work, Camp Naco was purchased by the City of Bisbee in 2018, and four years later was named one of the 11 Most Endangered Historic Places by the National Trust for Historic Places, bringing national attention to the need to save the site. That same year an award-winning Story Map created by a team led by The University of Arizona students highlighted the rich history of the Camp, illuminating the important role of the Buffalo Soldiers as effective peacekeepers within the segregated military of the period. Combined, these milestones paved the way for substantial grant funding in 2022 from both the Mellon Foundation and the State of Arizona to rehabilitate Camp Naco.
In 2023, the City of Bisbee initiated hiring a team of specialists to begin rehabilitation efforts and to pave the way for a lasting Naco Heritage Alliance to guide the process. Through a series of stakeholder meetings and events, we are reaching out to the local community, as well as those groups who will benefit from the rehabilitation, to explore a wide range of future uses for Camp Naco, both historical and contemporary.
The Naco Heritage Alliance respectfully acknowledges that Camp Naco resides on the ancestral lands of indigenous peoples, including the Sobaipuri and Chiricahua Apache. We, as an organization, are committed to building sustainable relationships with the affiliated descendant tribes of the Camp Naco site through educational and community outreach programming to ensure their history is honored and not forgotten.
Contractors Open House Date: Tuesday, March 25 from 11am – 2pm Location: Bisbee Council Chambers - 915 S. Tovreaville Rd. In collaboration with Naco Heritage Alliance and Durazo Construction Find out more about upcoming opportunities at this informal event. We are seeking licensed, bonded and insured contractors in HVAC, electrical, plumbing, mechanical, roofing, painting, concrete, windows and doors, carpentry, drywall, and low voltage cabling. Free to attend, refreshments provided.
Date: Saturday, March 22, 6 PM Event Address: Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum Please note: our Fireplace Chat at the Museum has reached capacity, but there is another great opportunity to meet the author and purchase a signed copy of his newest book. Dr. Langellier will be available from noon to 4 at Bisbee Books and Music, located in the Mercantile on Main. Be sure to stop by! Join us for a Question & Answer session and book signing with Buffalo Soldier author and military historian John Langellier, Ph.D. In 1881, the first Buffalo Soldiers arrived in Arizona pursuing elusive Apaches. Over the following decades, African Americans from the Tenth U.S. Cavalry and Twenty-Fourth and Twenty-Fifth Infantry added to the laurels won by the Ninth U.S. Cavalrymen. For more than six decades, Black soldiers served with honor, from campaigns against determined Native Americans to facing dangers along the turbulent border as the Mexican Revolution raged. During the dark days of World War II, they prepared for combat against foes both abroad and at home. All the while, they faced an ever-present, persistent enemy: racism. Author John P. Langellier brings to life the rich history of Buffalo Soldiers in the Copper State. Registration is required for this event, as there are a limited number of spaces available. Register HERE
Register for the lecture HERE
Camp Naco Meet and Greet with Executive Director Jeremy Fricke Wednesday, December 18, 4-6pm Meet our first Executive Director Jeremy Fricke (pronounced Frik-ē) in the Bisbee Council Chambers, 915 S. Tovreaville Rd. Informally connect with Jeremy beginning at 4 followed by a project status presentation at 5pm. Light refreshments will be provided.
Camp Naco Fireplace Chat Bill Cavaliere - The Chiricahua Apaches November 9, 2024, 2-4pm Camp Naco, AZ Registration is now closed, capacity has been reached. Bill Cavaliere will present a Q and A on the topic of the Chiricahua Apaches next month. Following the discussion, Becky Orozco will guide a walking tour through historic Camp Naco, likely the last one before construction begins! Bill is the author of The Chiricahua Apaches: A Concise History, an overview of the entire history of this particular tribe of fascinating Native Americans covering their arrival in the southwest, their culture, their notable people, their many conflicts and battles, and where they are today. Their story is one of perseverance and tenacity, of courage and sorrow, and of triumph and tragedy. A fiction writer could not have come up with a more unbelievable story; one filled with action, interesting people, emotion, and uncanny twists of fate. Bill Cavaliere is an independent researcher who retired after 28 years in law enforcement, during which time he was sheriff of Hidalgo County, New Mexico. Prior to this, he was employed with the US Forest Service in the Chiricahua Mountains of Arizona. He is currently president of the Cochise County Historical Society and sits on the board of directors of two other historical societies as well. He is currently working on a biography on Naiche, the last chief of the Chiricahua Apaches.
AZ Humanities grant Camp Naco and the Naco Heritage Alliance are excited to announce we have been awarded a 2024 Arizona Humanities (AZ Humanities) Grant of $10,000. This AZ Humanities grant will support the development of the Camp Naco Immersive Experience Mobile Application (app) that will amplify and increase accessibility to the multiple, layered historical narratives of Camp Naco. Camp Naco primarily embodies the legacy of the Buffalo Soldiers while simultaneously touching on histories associated with the Mexican Revolution, Chiricahua Apaches, and Paleo-Indian peoples. This mobile app will be one platform of a larger interpretive plan implementing adaptive technologies to provide immersive experiences to a greater diversity of audiences. Find out more about AZ Humanities at AZHumanities.org.
Useful Links
Contact info
(520) 432-9031
info@CampNacoAZ.org
Temporary Office Location:
915 S. Tovreaville Road
Bisbee, AZ 85603
Mailing Address:
PO Box 655, Naco, Arizona 85620
Camp Naco is located at 2118 W. Newell St. Naco, AZ 85620
