Skeleton Cave is a cave in

Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a U.S. state, state in the Southwestern United States. It is the list of U.S. states and territories by area, 6th largest and the list of U.S. states and territories by population, 14 ...

, United States. The cave is within the

Salt River Canyon Wilderness Salt River Canyon Wilderness is a wilderness area located within the Tonto National Forest in the U.S. state of Arizona. Background The Salt River and its deep canyon bisect the entire length of the wilderness. Elevations range from 2,200 fe ...

and is located on the northern wall of the Salt River Canyon near the

Horse Mesa Dam The Horse Mesa Dam is a concrete thin arch dam located in the Superstition Mountains, northeast of Phoenix in Maricopa County, Arizona. The dam is long, high and was built between 1924–27. The dam includes three conventional hydroelectric ...

. It was the site of the 1872 massacre of the

Yavapai people The Yavapai are a Native American tribe in Arizona. Historically, the Yavapai – literally “people of the sun” (from ''Enyaava'' “sun” + ''Paay'' “people”) – were divided into four geographical bands who identified as separate, i ...

in the

Battle of Salt River Canyon The Battle of Salt River Canyon, the Battle of Skeleton Cave, or the Skeleton Cave Massacre was the first principal engagement during the 1872 Tonto Basin Campaign under the command of Lieutenant Colonel George Crook. It was part of the Yavapa ...

. It was listed on the

National Register of Historic Places The National Register of Historic Places (NRHP) is the United States federal government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures and objects deemed worthy of preservation for their historical significance or "great artist ...

in 1991.

Background

A short distance from

Canyon Lake Canyon Lake, Lake Canyon, or lakes named "Cañon", may refer to: Bodies of water * Canyon Lake (Arizona) * Canyon Lake (California) * Canyon Lake (South Dakota) * Canyon Lake (Texas) * Canyon Lake (Michigan) * Lake Canyon (Lakeland, Florida) Place ...

, Skeleton Cave, also known as Apache Cave and Skull Cave, is a rock shelter formed by the overhang in the cliff wall. The cave is no deeper than , and is approximately wide. It sits above the river, at the base of a cliff. The cave was used by the Yavapais as a hideout from

George Crook George R. Crook (September 8, 1828 – March 21, 1890) was a career United States Army officer, most noted for his distinguished service during the American Civil War and the Indian Wars. During the 1880s, the Apache nicknamed Crook ''Nanta ...

and the 5th Cavalry. On December 28, 1872, Crook and his soldiers massacred the Yavapais. This was the first principal engagement during the 1872

Tonto Basin Campaign The Yavapai Wars, or the Tonto Wars, were a series of armed conflicts between the Yavapai and Tonto tribes against the United States in the Arizona Territory. The period began no later than 1861, with the arrival of American settlers on Yavapai ...

and part of the 1871 to 1875

Yavapai War The Yavapai Wars, or the Tonto Wars, were a series of armed conflicts between the Yavapai and Tonto tribes against the United States in the Arizona Territory. The period began no later than 1861, with the arrival of American settlers on Yavapai ...

. The 5th Cavalry left the more than seventy bodies of the victims in the cave. From the time of the 1872 massacre until about 1905, the cave remained forgotten. In January 1908, local rancher Jack Adams visited the cave with a group of friends. The remains of the slain Yavapais were still in the cave along with remnants of their belongings, and this is how the cave acquired its name. After 1908, with the construction of local dams, the cave was rediscovered and subsequently looted. In 1933, the remains of the massacre victims were relocated to Fort McDowell. The

wilderness area Wilderness or wildlands (usually in the plural), are natural environments on Earth that have not been significantly modified by human activity or any nonurbanized land not under extensive agricultural cultivation. The term has traditionally re ...

around the cave is managed by the

United States Forest Service The United States Forest Service (USFS) is an agency of the U.S. Department of Agriculture that administers the nation's 154 national forests and 20 national grasslands. The Forest Service manages of land. Major divisions of the agency inc ...

. Accessing the cave requires a difficult hike.

References

External links

* * * {{YouTube, tH7t39_kRWQ , Salt River Cave Massacre: Skeleton Cave Explored (part 2 of 2) - Beau Ouimette aka Aquachigger Landforms of Maricopa County, Arizona Caves of Arizona National Register of Historic Places in Maricopa County, Arizona Conflict sites on National Register of Historic Places in Arizona Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places Yavapai

Background

Further reading

References

External links