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.
The mission of the Naco Heritage Alliance is to reveal the hidden stories of human experience in the Borderlands by engaging communities, preserving the past, and educating the world as stewards of Camp Naco.
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.
Friday, May 29 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm — Join us as we step into Arizona’s past through the story of Wing Fang, exploring the resilience, struggles, and everyday lives of Chinese Arizonans in a powerful journey through overlooked history.
Friday, May 22 | 11:30 am – 12:30 pm — Join us for a powerful look at the young people who helped shape Arizona’s history through stories often left untold, presented by a first-generation Colombian American historian focused on community storytelling and hidden histories.
Thursday, April 23rd, 5:30 PM Free Online Event, Register Here We’re honored to invite you to a special upcoming program with Jeff Haozous, co-founder of Ndé Bikéeyá, the Chiricahua Apache Land Trust. In this virtual talk, Apaches and Earth Mother , Jeff will explore how the Chiricahua Apache people have expressed their deep connection to the natural world through language, stories, and culture. His work—both as a leader and as someone living in the Cochise Stronghold—offers powerful insight into the enduring relationship between people and place in the borderlands.
Thursdays, April 16th, April 30th, & May 14th, 6:00 PM Goar Park Lunches, 89 Main Street, Bisbee Free to Attend (Donations welcome and benefit Naco Heritage Alliance and Goar Park Lunches) - Register Here This April, Camp Naco Fellow Marilyn Noble brings Endangered Foods of the Borderlands to life—a three-part series exploring the deep histories behind everyday foods of the region. Through tastings and conversation, Marilyn draws on her work as a journalist, author, and food writer to connect dishes like chiltepín, empanadas, and masa to the people and stories of the borderlands. It’s part history, part storytelling, and part shared table. As part of her Naco Heritage Alliance Fellowship, and working in partnership with Goar Park Lunches, Marilyn is uncovering overlooked narratives of this region, and this series offers a delicious entry point into that larger exploration—one rooted in community, memory, and resilience. 🌶️ April 16th - The Chiltepin: The Hot Mother of All Chiles 🥟 April 30th - From Cornish Pasties to Mexican Empanadas: Hand-held Meals for Miners 🌽 May 14th - Masa: From Dried Corn to Tortillas, the Secrets to Making Nixtamal Come learn, discuss, and taste! Register here for one session, or all three!
Friday, April 10, 2026 2118 West Newell Street, Naco Free to attend, Registration Required Take a walk through history at Camp Naco. Join us for a guided tour exploring the site, the story of the Buffalo Soldiers, and the ongoing work to preserve this historic place. Register here to reserve your space today!
Thursday, February 12, 5-6:00 PM MST Online and Free to Attend Register at this link. During the era of the Mexican Revolution, many African Americans traveled and lived in Mexico. Join Naco Heritage Alliance with special guest Dr. Laura Hooton as she provides a glimpse into the experiences of some of these men and women, including activists, businessmen, soldiers, writers, athletes, and travelers. About The Speaker Dr. Laura Hooton is an Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the History Department at New Mexico State University. She teaches and writes about African American history, borderlands history, migration and immigration, and social movements and civil rights. She is the co-author of Almost All Aliens: Immigration, Race, and Colonialism in American History and Identity , Second Edition. Her next book, Little Liberia: A Dream of Black Freedom in the US-Mexico Borderlands , will be published this year.
