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Photo: Gerald T. Ahnert, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons
This site includes a ruined Butterfield Stagecoach station, and Civil War graves from the First Battle of Dragoon Springs.
Dragoon Springs is an historic site in what is now Cochise County, Arizona, at an elevation of 4,925 feet (1,501 m). The name comes from a nearby natural spring, Dragoon Spring, to the south in the Dragoon Mountains at 5,148 feet (1,569 m). The name originates from the 3rd U.S. Cavalry Dragoons who battled the Chiricahua, including Cochise, during the Apache Wars. The Dragoons established posts around 1856 after the Gadsden Purchase made the area a U.S. territory.
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A private museum dedicated to the preservation of Native American cultures and histories, with special events and educational programs.
Apache chief Cochise is believed to be buried in this area. Cochise Trail #279 is a challenging but very scenic 5-mile trail (one-way) beginning on the western side of the range and terminating at Cochise Stronghold Campground.
Named after pioneer settlers from Texas whose family still operates a nearby ranch, the pass is between the Dragoon Mountains in the south and the Little Dragoon Mountains in the north. The entire area is marked by huge granite boulders which can be easily appreciated from the I-10 rest stop. To explore further, take Exit 318 and turn south and head toward the Amerind Foundation (listed above).
Rockfellow Dome is one of the most popular locations. Some areas are closed from March through June to protect sensitive raptor-nesting sites. Call the Douglas office at +1 520-364-6800 for a list of routes that are open year-round.
This site, surrounded by giant boulders with pre-Columbian pictographs, is believed to be where the 1872 peace treaty between Chief Cochise and General Howard was negotiated.