The Dragoon Mountains are a range of mountains located in

Cochise County, Arizona Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city i ...

. The range is about 25 mi (40 km) long, running on an axis extending south-south east through Willcox. The name originates from the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Dragoons who battled the

Chiricahua Chiricahua ( ) is a band of Apache Native Americans. Based in the Southern Plains and Southwestern United States, the Chiricahua (Tsokanende ) are related to other Apache groups: Ndendahe (Mogollon, Carrizaleño), Tchihende (Mimbreño), Sehende ...

, including Cochise, during the Apache Wars. The Dragoons established posts around 1856 after the

Gadsden Purchase The Gadsden Purchase ( es, region=MX, la Venta de La Mesilla "The Sale of La Mesilla") is a region of present-day southern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico that the United States acquired from Mexico by the Treaty of Mesilla, which took effe ...

made it a U.S. territory.

Geography

The range is south of

Interstate 10 Interstate 10 (I-10) is the southernmost cross-country highway in the American Interstate Highway System. I-10 is the fourth-longest Interstate in the United States at , following I-90, I-80, and I-40. This freeway is part of the originally pla ...

, between the Whetstone Mountains to the west, and

Chiricahua Mountains The Chiricahua Mountains massif is a large mountain range in southeastern Arizona which is part of the Basin and Range province of the west and southwestern United States and northwest Mexico; the range is part of the Coronado National Forest. T ...

to the east. Higher elevations of the major ranges in the region are in the

Madrean Sky Islands The Madrean Sky Islands are enclaves of Madrean pine–oak woodlands, found at higher elevations in a complex of small mountain ranges in southern and southeastern Arizona, southwestern New Mexico, and northwestern Mexico. The sky islands are sur ...

ecoregion, with

sky island Sky islands are isolated mountains surrounded by radically different lowland environments. The term originally referred to those found on the Mexican Plateau, and has extended to similarly isolated high-elevation forests. The isolation has s ...

habitats. Mount Glenn (7,520 ft/2,292 m) is the highest point in the range. The

Little Dragoon Mountains The Little Dragoon Mountains, are included in the Douglas Ranger District of Coronado National Forest, in Cochise County, Arizona. The summit of the range is the center peak of the three Mae West Peaks, 6 miles northwest of Dragoon, Arizona. Th ...

are the continuation of the Dragoon Mountains north of Texas Canyon. The mountains were included in the short-lived Dragoon National Forest, which was established in 1907 and combined into

Coronado National Forest The Coronado National Forest is a United States National Forest that includes an area of about 1.78 million acres (7,200 km2) spread throughout mountain ranges in southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico. It is located in parts of C ...

in 1908. The area is now included in the Douglas Ranger District.

History

The warrior

Cochise Cochise (; Apache: ''Shi-ka-She'' or ''A-da-tli-chi'', lit.: ''having the quality or strength of an oak''; later ''K'uu-ch'ish'' or ''Cheis'', lit. ''oak''; June 8, 1874) was leader of the Chihuicahui local group of the Chokonen and principa ...

and his army defeated a small force of Confederate soldiers here at the First Battle of Dragoon Springs but was defeated at the Second Battle of Dragoon Springs a few days later. Cochise Stronghold Memorial Park lies near Mount Glenn on the eastern slope of the range and the historic town of Tombstone can be found at the southwestern portion of the range. There are also several

ghost town Ghost Town(s) or Ghosttown may refer to: * Ghost town, a town that has been abandoned Film and television * ''Ghost Town'' (1936 film), an American Western film by Harry L. Fraser * ''Ghost Town'' (1956 film), an American Western film by Alle ...

s in the Dragoon Mountains including Gleeson and Courtland.

Climbing History

The earliest known roped, technical climbing in Cochise Stronghold took place in 1966, involving John Rupley and Fred Becky making a first ascent of a route on Vortex Dome. In 1967 a set of climbers including Joanna McComb, Merle Wheeler, Don Morris and Dan Jones made several attempts to top out Rockfellow Dome, the highest of the summits in this tight group. Although they did not succeed in reaching that particular summit they established high quality routes while maintaining a bold and clean climbing ethic. In 1972 Dave Baker (founder of Summit Hut in Tucson), Mark Axon and Mike McEwenbegan climbing in Cochise. Eventually others including Gary Axen, Kem Johnson, Jake Bender, Scott Williams, Gary Hervert and Marti Woerner joined this group. This group eventually completed ascents of Rockfellow Dome, End Pinnacle and Cochise Dome. They touched off what is known as the Golden Age of first ascents in Cochise. Later notable climbers who were responsible for establishing routes in the area included Steve Grossman, John Steiger and Paul Davidson. In 1979 this trio succeeded in climbing a route they named “As the Wind Cries” to the top of Chey Deas Tsay, the only dome remaining in Cochise Stronghold that had not yet been ascended.Hundal at 33

Additional reading

* ToofastTopos 2, Cochise Stronghold Rock Climbing. Author: Geir Hundal, (2018).

References

External links

Cochise Stronghold

{{Authority control Mountain ranges of Cochise County, Arizona Madrean Sky Islands mountain ranges Coronado National Forest Cochise County conflict Mountain ranges of Arizona