Devils Kitchen Skeleton Canyon Peloncillo Mountains

Skeleton Canyon, called Cañon Bonita by the Mexicans, is located northeast of the town of

Douglas, Arizona Douglas is a city in Cochise County, Arizona, United States, that lies in the north-west to south-east running Sulphur Springs Valley. Douglas has a Douglas, Arizona Port of Entry, border crossing with Mexico at Agua Prieta and a history of min ...

, in the Peloncillo Mountains, which straddle the modern

Arizona Arizona is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States, sharing the Four Corners region of the western United States with Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah. It also borders Nevada to the nort ...

and

New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...

state line, in the

New Mexico Bootheel The New Mexico Bootheel is a Salient (geography), salient (protrusion) which comprises the southwestern corner of New Mexico. As part of the Gadsden Purchase it is bounded on the east by the Mexico, Mexican state of Chihuahua (state), Chihuahua ...

region. This canyon connects the Animas Valley of New Mexico with the San Simon Valley of Arizona, and was once a main route between the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

and

Mexico Mexico, officially the United Mexican States, is a country in North America. It is the northernmost country in Latin America, and borders the United States to the north, and Guatemala and Belize to the southeast; while having maritime boundar ...

for both legal and illegal traffic. While originally known as Guadalupe Canyon, the area came to be called Skeleton Canyon, owing to the bones of cows and humans left behind by cattle drives from Mexico.

Battles

The canyon was the site of several battles during the American Old West. In 1879, a group of outlaw Cowboys attacked a group of Mexican Rurales and stole their cattle. In July 1881, Curly Bill Brocius attacked and killed about a dozen Mexican smugglers carrying silver and heading to the United States. In retribution, the Mexican government attacked and killed Newman Haynes Clanton and others as they were driving cattle through Guadalupe Canyon. In 1883, Apache Indians from Chihuahua's band surprised eight troopers of Troop D, Fourth Cavalry, killed three men, burned the wagons and supplies, and drove off forty horses and mules.

Geronimo's surrender

Geronimo Gerónimo (, ; June 16, 1829 – February 17, 1909) was a military leader and medicine man from the Bedonkohe band of the Ndendahe Apache people. From 1850 to 1886, Geronimo joined with members of three other Central Apache bands the Tchihen ...

's final surrender to General Nelson A Miles on September 4, 1886, occurred at the western edge of this canyon. As the surrender site is now on private property, commemorative monument has been erected to the northwest along SR 80, where it intersects with Skeleton Canyon Road in Arizona, at geographic coordinates . The mouth of the canyon lies about to the southeast just west of the Arizona – New Mexico line.''Chiricahua Peak, Arizona – New Mexico'', 30x60 Minute Topographic Quadrangle, USGS 1994

Murders and shootouts

On November 4, 1889, Judson "Comanche" White was found dead in Skeleton Canyon after being killed by person or persons unknown; all his possession had been stolen as well.The Deseret News November 7, 1889
/ref> On August 12, 1896, a shoot-out between the Christian gang and a posse resulted in the Skeleton Canyon shootout.

References

External links

Evolution, Use, and Effectiveness of the Apache Indian Scouts

Jul 31, 1937, Apache scout Martine dies

Scouts Guide Lieutenant Gatewood to Geronimo's and Naiche's camp
{{Coord, 31, 35, 24, N, 109, 2, 10, W, type:landmark_region:US-AZ, display=title Arizona folklore Canyons and gorges of Arizona Canyons and gorges of New Mexico Cochise County conflict Geronimo Landforms of Cochise County, Arizona Landforms of Hidalgo County, New Mexico New Mexico Bootheel New Mexico folklore

Battles

Geronimo's surrender

Murders and shootouts

See also

References

External links