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Old Pueblo Archaeology Center’s “Historic Camp Rucker: Apache Wars Outpost Tour”
October 3, 2020 @ 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Remnants of Camp Rucker’s adobe Commissary and Bakery buildings constructed by soldiers in 1880 (Coronado National Forest photo).
On Saturday, October 3, 2020 join archaeologist Bill Gillespie for the “Historic Camp Rucker: Apache Wars Outpost Tour,” which will meet at 8:00 a.m. on Houghton Road just south of Interstate-10 Exit 275, Tucson. This is a fundraising tour where each registrant is asked to make a donation to help cover Old Pueblo’s tour expenses and support its education programs about archaeology and traditional cultures.
Well off the beaten path in the southern part of the Chiricahua Mountains is the site of Camp Rucker, a small military post established by the U.S. Army in 1878. The location selected in Whitewater (later Rucker) Canyon was one the ancient Mogollon people had picked centuries before. The Army post was small, never garrisoned by more than a single company, and officially lasted only a couple of years. For most of that time soldiers and officers lived in tents but in 1880 soldiers started building a small number of stone and adobe structures, some of which are still standing. High clearance vehicles are recommended. Participants provide their own transportation, lunches, and water. Bill Gillespie, who was a Coronado National Forest archaeologist for 25 years, and his Forest Service colleague Mary Farrell conducted volunteer projects at Camp Rucker and successfully nominated the Rucker Canyon Archaeological District to the National Register of Historic Places.
Donations are due 10 days after reservation request or by 5 p.m. Wednesday September 30, whichever is earlier: 520-798-1201 or info@oldpueblo.org.
20201003(V2)CampRuckerTripFlyer