August 30, 1880
On this day, Chief Diablo, died in combat and not at the hands of the Army but killed by his fellow Apache.
A friend before he was an enemy, the Diablo saga began in 1869 during the half century of the Apache Wars. It ended with the Cibecue chief’s internicene clash with the rival White Mountain band.
Major John Green, a duplicitous character in his own right, first encountered Diablo’s brother, Escapa, called Miguel, while scouting in the White Mountains. Green’s mission was to kill or capture any Apache his party happened upon.
If he and his soldiers were ever inclined to slaughter native people, Miguel disrupted the plan, welcoming them with open arms. It would have been murder to shoot them in cold blood, Green concluded.
The episode eventually led to a dialog between Green and a number of Apache leaders including Miguel, Diablo and a third leader known as Pedro. In an unlikely development, the parties agreed to establish a military post along with several reservations. The post, known first as Camp Ord, then Camp Mogollon, next Camp Thomas and finally historic Fort Apache.
Fort Apache, circa 1880
Green, however, never intended to be a partner with the the Native Americans. He planned instead to be an overlord. His aim, he freely admitted, was “to compel the White Mountain Indians to live on their 
reservation or be driven from their beautiful country which they almost worship.” It would, he believed “stop their traffic in corn with hostile tribes.” They could not plant an acre of ground without our permission as we know every spot of it.”
Civil war hero General George Crook (right), called Grey Wolf by the Apache, took over the Department of Arizona in 1871. His Army was actually no match for the native people without some level of cooperation, Crook decided. He formed the Apache Scouts, credited with playing a decisive role in the Apache Wars until Geronimo’s surrender in 1886.
General Crook with two Apache Scouts
Conflicts among the various bands increased over differing attitudes toward white settlement and cooperation with the military. Diablo appeared to take the side of the Army in 1873, summarily executing a member of a competing band for killing a man from the fort. The Americans were pleased. Many of his fellow Apache were not.
Hoping to end further strife, the Army ordered all the bands to move closer to the fort. The policy did limit attacks on the white population but raised tensions among the Apache.
Having created the problem, the government made it worse, ordering all the competing bands onto the San Carlos Reservation east of Phoenix. The move permanently alienated Diablo.
In retaliation he and his followers attacked a white settlement camp near the fort, killing at least one civilian, Reasoning “the friend of my enemy is my enemy,” he turned his wrath on the White Mountain Apache who had continued to cooperate with the military.
After five years of continued conflict, the White Mountain band and Diablo’s Cibecue fought a fierce battle and Diablo was killed.
The Apache Wars lasted another decade, finally ending 1890. By that time Crook’s Apache Scouts had all but disappeared, some imprisoned by the Army at Fort Sam Houston. Geronimo (right) surrendered to Crook and died 23 years later in 1909 at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. The U.S. abandoned Fort Apache in 1922, providing a coda to a particularly sad chapter in American history.
If there was a winner, it would be the White Mountain Apache. As a result of their service to Crook, they retained a large part of their traditional land, today the White Mountain Reservation.
A year after being decommissioned, legendary Fort Apache became the Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School. The Roosevelt School today is a tribally administered middle school facility.
Fort Apache National Historic Park, 127 Scout Street, Fort Apache, Arizona, includes the White Mountain Apache Cultural Center and Museum with exhibits, demonstrations of Apache arts, archives and a growing number of historic photographs. In addition, a self-guided walking tour takes visitors through the 288 acre historic district with 27 historic buildings and the Fort Apache cemetery.
Commanding officer’s quarters
A 1.4 mile hiking loop through East Fork canyon passes an historic Apache Scout camp and ancestral Pueblo village. Kinishba Ruins National Historic Landmark, the partially reconstructed Zuni and Hopi site, occupied in 1400 A.D. is located four miles from Fort Apache. Guided tours are available by reservation
The park, including Kinishba Ruins, is open daily, 7 to sunset. The cultural center is open 8 to 5, Monday through Saturday during the summer months and 8 to 5, Monday through Friday during the winter. Admission to the museum and park, $5.00 for adults, $3 for seniors and students. Children under 7 are free. After-hour and holiday admission to the park is $5.00 per vehicle per day. For more information go to wmat.nsn.us/fortapachepark, contact the museum at (928) 338-4625 or call the 24-hour information number, (928) 338-4525.
© Text Only – 2018 – Headin’ West LLC – All photos – public domain or fair use.