Preserving Place,
Empowering Community
Buffalo Soldiers and the Garfield Monument
Mark Costa • August 9, 2024
Register for this free event by clicking HERE
Buffalo Soldiers and the Garfield Monument
A Fireplace Chat presentation by Sharon Kennedy
Saturday, August 24, 2-3:30pm
Warren Peace Cafe, 123 Arizona St, Warren, AZ
Join us for a free presentation and interactive discussion with author Sharon Kennedy. Copies of her book will also be for sale at the event for $10. Register at
https://forms.gle/jNFLnFXiUQxp55UMA.
In April of 1885, the 10th Cavalry, one of four (originally six) regiments of Black soldiers formed by the Army Reorganization Act of 1866, was ordered to leave Texas and come to the Arizona Territory for the specific purpose of finding and returning various members of the Chiricahua Apache tribe, including Geronimo, to the San Carlos Reservation. Their journey here, which took 30 days, was the first and last time all the twelve troops of the 10th would be together.
Between October of 1885 and May of 1886, two troops of the Buffalo Soldiers were temporarily assigned to camp in Bonita Canyon in the Chiricahua Mountains to guard against Geronimo returning from Mexico and using the water in Bonita Springs to replenish his people and horses. During that time, in addition to regular duties, they carved and chiseled stones to build a 10-foot monument, with the largest stone in the center to honor slain President James A. Garfield. This is the story of that episode.
Sharon Kennedy is an independent researcher, author, and freelance writer. She writes true stories about ordinary people and popular history and has a particular interest in researching Black history and pioneer women. She is a member of the Cochise County Historical Society and was the keynote speaker in February at the Centennial Celebration of the Chiricahua National Monument.
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.
Saturday, September 28, 2pm - Register HERE
A free event for the whole family!
The Sierra Vista African American Community Coalition presents The 9th Annual Juneteenth Celebration June 19, 10am-4pm - Buena High School, Sierra Vista Camp Naco will be sponsoring this annual celebration featuring fun for the whole family with food, games, flowetry, a black business market, ancestral balloon release, a basketball tournament and the presentation of the Buffalo Soldier Legacy Award by the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers (SWABS). Also featuring music by BWPC and Freddy J. Join us!
Pedaling a New Concept: The US Army Bicycle Corps-America's Rolling "Black Army" Tuesday, May 28, 2024, from 5:30-6:30pm, Free to attend Join us for a fascinating look at a little known military experiment and the brave soldiers who took part. Cochise College instructor Glenn Minuth will share his research at a free event, to be held at the Copper Queen Library. This lecture is a partnership event co-sponsored by the Copper Queen Library, the Naco Heritage Alliance and Camp Naco Project. During the late 1800s, it's no surprise that the widespread popularity of the bicycle attracted the attention of U.S. Army leaders. In 1892 the Army Chief of Staff communicated his interest by approving one regiment to be equipped with bicycles, to obtain all information of military importance surrounding local forts. A young officer organized the 25th Infantry Bicycle Corps whose mission was to thoroughly "test the practicality" of the bicycle for military purposes. How did the A. G. Spalding Company play into this experiment? What did each bicycle carry? Training trips of increasing lengths prepared the unit for a major 800-mile expedition. How did they complete their longest expedition 1,900 miles away? And why was an even longer trip to San Francisco from Montana not approved and what did that signal for the Corps future? Presenter Glenn Minuth was a (35-year) Department of Defense civil servant who retired at Fort Huachuca. His bachelors and graduate degrees are in geography with emphasis in cartography, geomorphology, remote sensing, and geology. He is also a graduate of the Army Management Staff College. He has been an instructor for 30 plus years at Cochise College, AZ in both credit and non-credit programs and leads field trips and lectures in the areas of: geology, geography, earth science, astronomy, ecology, weather/climate, agriculture, and military history.
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
