Apache Wells is the name of both fictional and real locations in southern

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

Fictional Apache Wells

In fiction, particularly in

Western movies The Western is a genre set in the American frontier and commonly associated with folk tales of the Western United States, particularly the Southwestern United States, as well as Northern Mexico and Western Canada. It is commonly referred ...

, "Apache Wells" is a common name for a fictional location in the

Old West The American frontier, also known as the Old West or the Wild West, encompasses the geography, history, folklore, and culture associated with the forward wave of American expansion in mainland North America that began with European colonial ...

, generally a remote stagecoach

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, typically in southern Arizona. It first came into conspicuous public use in

John Ford John Martin Feeney (February 1, 1894 – August 31, 1973), known professionally as John Ford, was an American film director and naval officer. He is widely regarded as one of the most important and influential filmmakers of his generation. He ...

's classic 1939 western movie '' Stagecoach,''Bandy, Mary Lea; and Kevin Stoehr
"''The Big Trail'' and ''Stagecoach,''"
Oct 1, 2012, in ''Ride, Boldly Ride: The Evolution of the American Western,'' p.95,

University of California Press The University of California Press, otherwise known as UC Press, is a publishing house associated with the University of California that engages in academic publishing. It was founded in 1893 to publish scholarly and scientific works by facult ...

, retrieved February 16, 2022 the film that elevated John Wayne to stardom. (The film also had remakes in 1966 and

1986 The year 1986 was designated as the International Year of Peace by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 **Aruba gains increased autonomy from the Netherlands by separating from the Netherlands Antilles. **Spain and Portugal enter ...

). Subsequent westerns set partly, or chiefly, in or around the fictional "Apache Wells" have included: * Duel at Apache Wells (1957)"Duel at Apache Wells: 1957"

Internet Movie Database IMDb (an abbreviation of Internet Movie Database) is an online database of information related to films, television series, home videos, video games, and streaming content online – including cast, production crew and personal biographies, ...

, retrieved February 16, 2022"Duel at Apache Wells (1957)"
RareFilm.com, retrieved February 16, 2022 * Apache Territory (1958),Chennault, Nicholas
"Apache Territory,"
February 9, 2015, in "Great Western Movies," retrieved February 16, 2022 * Rampage at Apache Wells (1966),"Rampage at Apache Wells: 1966,"

Turner Classic Movies Turner Classic Movies (TCM) is an American movie-oriented pay-TV network owned by Warner Bros. Discovery. Launched in 1994, Turner Classic Movies is headquartered at Turner's Techwood broadcasting campus in the Midtown business district of At ...

, retrieved February 16, 2022 *

40 Guns to Apache Pass ''40 Guns to Apache Pass'' is a 1967 American Western film directed by William Witney and starring Audie Murphy. Plot In the Arizona Territory of 1868, the Apaches, led by Cochise (Michael Keep), are on the warpath. Army Captain Bruce Coburn (A ...

(1967),"40 Guns to Apache Pass: 1967,"

, retrieved February 16, 2022"40 Guns to Apache Pass (1967); Plot,"

, retrieved February 16, 2022 At the time that the fictional "Apache Wells" first came into use, there was not any actual town of Apache Wells in Arizona, but there were two small, remote settlements in southern Arizona with closely related names: Apache Junction, and Desert Wells — both of which had existed since the 1800s, when they had been sites of stagecoach way stations.

Real Apache Wells

Today, Apache Wells is a populated place and

retirement community A retirement community is a residential community or housing complex designed for older adults who are generally able to care for themselves; however, assistance from home care agencies is allowed in some communities, and activities and socializ ...

situated within the boundaries of the city of

Mesa A mesa is an isolated, flat-topped elevation, ridge or hill, which is bounded from all sides by steep escarpments and stands distinctly above a surrounding plain. Mesas characteristically consist of flat-lying soft sedimentary rocks capped by a ...

(a major suburb of

Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...

, part of the

Phoenix Metropolitan Area The Phoenix Metropolitan Area – also the Valley of the Sun, the Salt River Valley, or Metro Phoenix (known by most locals simply as “the Valley”) – is the largest metropolitan area in the Southwestern United States, centered on the city ...

) 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 ...

, in the state of

, in the United States. Apache Wells was established in 1962 and developed by the Hughes family. It has an estimated elevation of above sea level, and is approximately one square mile in size.

References

External links

Apache Wells Home Owner's Association
{{authority control Populated places in Maricopa County, Arizona