Have you ever been to the real Ft. Apache?

Yep, I've been there a couple of times. Even today it is pretty far off the beaten path - about mid-way between the towns of Show Low and Globe in eastern central Arizona, but along the smaller reservation roads, not the main US60.

Fort Apache was a major military post during the Apache Wars at the end of the 19th century. It was founded as Camp Ord by Col. John Green in the summer of 1870, then renamed Camp Thomas and finally Camp (and later Fort) Apache in 1871. The fort was home to one of the first group of Apache scouts. The fort was briefly (and unsuccessfully) attacked in 1881 after the Battle of Cibecue. The fort remained active until 1922 when it was turned over to the reservation for use as a school.

In many movies and TV shows, the fort is often portrayed as being in a desert 'Monument Valley' type setting, but it is actually located in a cool pine forest on a plateau overlooking the White River (a rather pretty location). If I recall correctly, at the time of my last visit (three or four years ago), there were still a few old buildings from the 19th century and quite a few from the early 20th century, most notably a long row of large officers houses.

The surviving buildings had been used for a variety of purposes over the years by the BIA and reservation government, but at the time of my last visit, they appeared to be mostly empty (although the buildings and grounds were still being maintained). The near by small town of White River is a modern reservation community.

I might've been there on 31 December 2004 on an extended camping trip. If not, I was close by.

According to my journal, I left White Sands, NM, nat'l monument on 28 December, heading for SE Arizona. Camped that night in Coronado Nat'l Forest near Portal alongside a wooded creek.

The next day I wanted to go to Ft. Bowie, but the mountain road was closed. Drove 25 miles north on dirt road to I-10; got off at the Bowie exit, then drove south on another dirt road to Ft. Bowie, thence to Chiricahua Nat'l Monument.

Ft. Bowie is probably the most remote nat'l park site I've visited in 6 months. You get there by dirt road, then hike. It wasn't named after Jim Bowie, but after a Capt. Bowie, a fort commandant. It was built in 1861 to protect Apache Pass, figured in the Civil War, and was the base from which they chased Geronimo.

Chiricahua Nat'l Monument is but a short drfve from Ft. Bowie. It has a great campground where I'd planned to stay, but I was out of food, and there was no food anywhere within a 25-mile radius.

I headed for Tombstone, stopping at a restaurant en route, and passing "Geronimo's Stronghold" mountains off to the west.

It was New Year's Eve, and all Tombstone motels were full. They advised me to go to Sierra Vista (never heard of it) where I could find a room. Rain was in the forecast. The nighttime drive over the mountain was quite scenic, with town lights in the valley below.

So that's what I have. Moral: if you go there, bring your own food, water, and a full tank of gas. My general impression: southern New Mexico was boring, but southern Arizona had a lot to see. I entered Arizona on 30 December in the extreme southeast, and left on the evening of 5 January 2005 at Yuma along the Mexican border. I spent a week there, and it was pretty good. I'd go back sometime.

I live in Arizona and have driven through there. It's a pretty crummy place.