Apache Springs Patrol
We will be returning to the Fort Bowie National Historic Site to conduct a patrol through the park along the Butterfield Overland Mail Route. This is a first person immersion event covering approximately 8 miles of trail as well as fatigue and sentry duties. Select individuals will serve as historical interpreters for the public while the rest carry on their duties in first person. From the time you awake on Saturday until the event ends on Sunday, first person as well as millitary discipline should be maintained. We will be living out of our knapsacks and sleeping out of doors. We do have slots for guest reenactors to participate but they must regester and recieve approval prior to the event. There is a registration fee of $15 to cover the cost of rations.
Members of the 1st CA will be onsite all day Friday setting up and providing historic interpretation to the public near the Visitor Center. Ration issue as well as weapons and kit inspections will be held Friday night. Vehicles will be parked at the secure lot near the Visitor Center and reenactors will be ferried to the start location. We will be in the desert and water along the march is limited, participants should begin hydrating prior to arriving and use water judiciously onsite. The event will be live from the the time we awake on Saturday until the event ends at Noon on Sunday. We are guests of the National Park Service on a protected site and will conduct ourselves as such while on site. Please contact Troy Groves if you have any questions.
Additional Information about Fort Bowie History
Fort Bowie Park Map (Note: Participants should follow the signs to the Handicapped parking area near the visitor center when arriving.)
Map of the Butterfield Overland Trail
Google Map from Bowie, AZ to Fort Bowie Visitor Center
TIPS FOR DESERT TRAVELERS: Wool (flannel or kersey weave), 10 oz. and heavier weight, makes an excellent sun block. Travel at night whenever possible - the darkness will forestall the unpleasant moment (usually just after dawn) when you first realize you are lost. Do not hesitate to drink copiously from your canteen - if you merely sip, you will still dehydrate...and in any case, you ain't gonna survive to the next water hole anyhow. Javelinas are your friends - when they are within 30 feet of you, it almost certain that there is no rattler within the same distance (of course, the reverse is also true). In an emergency, the roots of many desert plants can be sucked on to obtain moisture - in an extreme emergency, small rocks may be used to the same effect.
- From a Fort Bowie Veteran