Blogs from Willcox, Arizona, United States, North America

In early January 2022, Anne and I journeyed to southern Arizona for some long delayed hiking in an area we had been to twice before and enjoyed visiting very much. This time we took it fairly easy with no terribly difficult hikes and may have actually learned a thing or two about the history of the area. We flew into Tucson early on a Saturday afternoon and drove to Wilcox where we checked into our motel. With the pandemic still raging, the Delta variant in full force, and the Omicron variant just getting started, we ate breakfast and most evening meals in our room, either getting microwave stuff from a grocery or take out from a restaurant. Lunch was usually a sandwich or snacky stuff on the trail. On Sunday, we drove to Cochise Stronghold in ... read more

blog 03-23-20 Patagonia to Willcox I was packed up and ready to leave by 9:30 which is remarkable for me. The road was a 2 lane 55 mph country road winding through pastures and scrubs. There were small Mesquite trees along the way and lots of cactus. I took a picture of bear grass with last years blossom stem and a century plant with it's old stem to compare the size of the 2. Then the terrain opened up and the speed limit was 65 or whatever you wanted to do with the mountain in the distance. I chose another smaller road vs the interstate to get into Benson where I picked up some supplies and headed east on interstate 10. Before long I was in Wilcox and found my campground Ft Wilcox Campground. I will ... read more

HOGTOWN A soldier at a frontier post could not always get everything he needed from the sutler or from the commissary stores. The area of brothels and saloons that sprang up around military outposts was commonly called “Hogtown” by the soldiers that they were set up to serve. At Fort Grant in Arizona Territory hogtown thrived about three miles to the south of the post in what is now called Bonita. Henry Antrim was only 17 years old in 1877 but was already a well-known horse thief and shirker at Fort Grant. He was so slightly built that he could barely do an honest day’s work, and hated being put upon to do so under any circumstance. Being puny in stature had its advantage; he was adept at breaking out of jail. Henry was arrested in ... read more

COCHISE STATION Burt Alvord was a well-regarded lawman in Cochise County. In 1897 he was appointed town constable in Willcox. It was a fun job that suited his special talent for bruising up rambunctious miscreants and busting their pumpkin heads. It did not pay very handsomely though and he was having trouble making ends meet. In order to supplement his modest income Burt and his pal, Billy Stiles, decided to branch out into robbing trains. The two of them put together a good plan although it involved robbing the store of a friend in Willcox for the dynamite needed to open the express safe. The blasting caps, fuses and more dynamite were pilfered from a mine in Dos Cabezas. For muscle they brought in two of Billy’s drinking pals, Matt Burts and Bill Downing. Bill was ... read more

A FINE KETTLE OF FISH LT Britton Davis graduated from West Point in the summer of 1881. In May of 1882 Geronimo was on the rampage in Mexico and needed more fighting men. He kidnapped them from among Loco’s band living peaceably near Camp Goodwin. In due course Geronimo surrendered to General Crook in Mexico and the hostiles were taken in three groups back to the San Carlos Agency. Lt Davis was charged with the responsibility for escorting the hostiles from the border up through Sulphur Springs Valley to the reservation. The first two groups had only a few ponies and were able to travel quickly enough to avoid trouble. Several weeks had passed before Geronimo’s group reached the border. When they finally arrived they had a herd of 350 cattle stolen in Mexico. ... read more