Near Bowie in Cochise County, Arizona — The American Mountains (Southwest)

Post Cemetery

Photographed By Duane Hall, March 6, 2010

1. Post Cemetery Marker

Inscription. The Post Cemetery predated the establishment of Fort Bowie, when soldiers of the California Column were interred here in 1862. The area was unfenced until 1878, when a four-foot adobe wall was erected 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 simply read: "Unknown. Killed by Apaches."

Of the most decorated was Medal of Honor recipient O.O. Spence. Also interred here were military dependents, civilian employees, emigrants, mail carriers, and three Apache children, one of which was Geronomino's two-year-old son.

Five months after the fort's closure, the remains of 72 soldiers, dependents and "Unknowns" were removed for reinternment at the San Francisco National Cemetery. Twenty-three civilian graves remain.

(Photo Caption)
"Knowing that persons now living have friends buried there, it may be a source of consolation to them to know that the graves of their departed friends at Camp Bowie are marked with slabs and that green grass grows upon every mound."
John H. Marion, 1870

Erected by National Park Service - Fort Bowie National Historic Site.

Topics and series. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists:

Paid Advertisement

Click on the ad for more information.
Please report objectionable advertising to the Editor.

Click or scan to see
this page online

Cemeteries & Burial Sites • Forts and Castles • War, US Civil • Wars, US Indian. In addition, it is included in the Medal of Honor Recipients series list. A significant historical year for this entry is 1862.

Location. 32° 8.806′ N, 109° 26.901′ W. Marker is near Bowie, Arizona, in Cochise County. Marker can be reached from Apache Pass Road, 2.3 miles south of Bear Springs Road. Marker is located midway along the trail between the Apache Pass Road parking area / trailhead and the fort ruins / visitor center. To reach the Apache Pass Road parking area, from Bowie, drive south on Apache Pass Rd for approximately eight miles to the parking area. From Willcox, drive southeast for 20 miles on State Route 186 to Apache Pass Road, then drive another eight miles on Apache Pass Road to the parking area. Be prepared to walk three miles round trip to the cemetery and back. Touch for map. Marker is in this post office area: Bowie AZ 85605, United States of America. Touch for directions.

Other nearby markers. At least 8 other markers are within walking distance of this marker. The Butterfield Overland Mail (about 700 feet away, measured in a direct line); The Chiricahua Apache Indian Agency (about 800 feet away);

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, January 8, 2017

2. Post Cemetery Marker

The Stage Station Ruin (approx. 0.2 miles away); Bascom-Cochise Meeting Site (approx. 0.2 miles away); The Bascom Affair (approx. ¼ mile away); The Battle of Apache Pass; July 15-16, 1862 (approx. ¼ mile away); Parke Camp Site (approx. 0.3 miles away); Apache Spring (approx. half a mile away). Touch for a list and map of all markers in Bowie.

Also see . . . Post Cemetery - Fort Bowie National Historic Site website. (Submitted on September 28, 2013.)

Photographed By Bill Kirchner, January 8, 2017

3. Post Cemetery Marker

Marker can be seen in the distance.

Orisobo Spence Memorial image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane Hall, March 6, 2010

4. Orisobo Spence Memorial

Head board and stone memorial of Medal of Honor recipient O.O. Spence

Apache Children Grave Sites image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane Hall, March 6, 2010

5. Apache Children Grave Sites

Fort Bowie Post Cemetery image. Click for full size.

Photographed By Duane Hall, March 6, 2010

6. Fort Bowie Post Cemetery

Credits. This page was last revised on January 14, 2017. It was originally submitted on September 28, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. This page has been viewed 864 times since then and 29 times this year. Photos: 1. submitted on September 28, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas. 2, 3. submitted on January 13, 2017, by Bill Kirchner of Tucson, Arizona. 4, 5, 6. submitted on September 28, 2013, by Duane Hall of Abilene, Texas.