1926 Map of Cochise Head

About this map

Old Fort Bowie and the historic Apache Pass dominate this 1920s military survey, capturing the rugged southeastern corner of Arizona as it was being managed by the Coronado National Forest. The landscape is a study in early twentieth-century desert survival, characterized by a series of family-named outposts like Riggs Home Ranch, Bartlett Ranch, and Faraway Ranch. These settlements relied on a network of technological improvements such as the Well & Earth Reservoir 7-H.P. Gas Eng. and numerous steel tanks to manage the scarce water supply from Goodwin Springs and Bear Spring. Education in this sparse territory was anchored by Ninemile School and Starks School. Economic activity is evident through the Marble Quarries and the Willie Rose Mine, while the natural topography of the Dos Cabezas Mts and the towering Cochise Head defined the physical boundaries of the Sulphur Spring Valley.