Chiricahua National Monument

Land of Standing Up Rocks

As you enter Chiricahua National Monument you are climbing up a "sky island" – an isolated mountain range rising above the surrounding grassland "sea." Meadows dotted with cactus and mesquite begin to fill with sycamore, juniper, and oak trees. Farter up are cypress, pine, and fir woodlands. So far the landscape is typical of the basin-and-range topography in this part of the Southwest. It’s the rock pinnacles looming over the road like guardians of the forest that announce you’re in Chiricahua country.

The Chiricahua Apache Indians called these pinnacles "standing up rocks." Their origins were from eruptions of the Turkey Creek Volcano which spewed ash over 1,200 square miles (3,100 square km). These super-heated ash particles melted together, forming layers of gray rock called rhyolite. Colling and subsequent uplifting created joints and cracks in the rhyolite. Weathering by ice wedging and erosion by water enlarged the cracks. Weaker material was washed away leaving behind an endless variety of spires, balanced rocks, and other shapes. This sculpting by the forces of nature continues today. The longer you look, the more alive the formations seem. Many have names; use your imagination to name your own.

Chiricahua National Monument was established in 1924 to preserve and protect the pinnacles. In 1934 the Civilian Conservation Corps, CCC, took on the jobs of improving the road and constructing the trails and many of the structures. The park comprises 11,985 acres (4,794 hectares); 86 percent of this area is designated as wilderness. There are trails for everyone – from the short, wheelchair-accessible nature trail at Massai Point to all-day hikes winding through the formations. The eight-mile scenic drive rises from the grasslands to the summit at Massai Point, where you get a true sense of being atop a "sky island."

Four ecosystems meet in the Chiricahua Mountains. Both Chiricahua National Monument and Mexico's Ajoe-Bavispe National Forest Reserve and Wildlife Refuge protect "sky island" habitat. The two sister parks have had a working partnership since 1996.

The Chiricahua Apache Indians: Cochise and Geronimo

From the early 1400s southeastern Arizona and southwestern New Mexico have been home to the Chricahua Apaches. Of the four main bands, the Chokonen band lived in and around the Chiricahua Mountains.

They were traditionally nomadic, hunting large game and gathering edible plants. Superb warriors, feared and respected by neighboring tribes, the Apaches fought relentlessly against European colonization beginning with the Spanish in the 1500s. They quickly learned to handle horses and weapons acquired from the newcomers. After Mexican independence in 1821 and encroachment by settlers and miners, a state of war existed. Led by Cochise and Geronimo, they raided pioneer settlements but were never able to stem the tide. In 1886 the Chiricahua Apaches surrendered. Ultimately they were settled on reservations in Oklahoma and New Mexico.

Faraway Ranch

The peach and green house in Bonita Canyon looks as though the door may open any minute, welcoming you for a visit.

Swedish immigrants Neil and Emma Erickson settled here in 1888. By the 1920s their eldest daughter, Lillian, and her husband, Ed Riggs, had turned the homestead into a guest ranch. From 1917 until 1973 visitors came to relax, watch birds, and hike in the hills.

Lillian and Ed built trails and led guests on horseback through the "Wonderland of Rocks." Armed with photographs and colorful stories, they lobbied for the area’s protection.

After the death of the three Erickson children the ranch and its furnishings were incorporated into the park as a historic district.

Faraway Ranch today tells the story of how one family lived on the land, shaped the land, and was in turn shaped by the land.

Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC)

Launched March 31, 1933, as part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s New Deal, the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) enlisted 3.4 million young men hard hit by the Great Depression.

Nicknamed the "Tree Army," its enrollees labored at conservation, construction, and rehabilitation projects in all U.S. states and territories. There were 118 CCC camps in National Park Service areas, including NM-2-A, Company 828 encamped at Chiricahua National Monument.

The CCC was more than a job. If you could not read or write you received classroom instruction in camp. You could learn carpentry, plumbing, surveying, and other skills.

Monthly pay was $30, $25 of which was sent to your family.

The outbreak of World War II led many CCC workers into military service. The CCC camps were disbanded in 1942.

Wild Chiricahua

Rising to 9,763 feet (2,978 meters), the Chiricahua "sky island" is home to some 1,200 species of plants. Species vary according to elevation, exposure to sun, and precipitation. Plants and animals from four ecosystems meet in this range. On cooler northern slopes look for ponderosa pine and Douglas fir, both typical of the Rocky Mountains. Sunny southern slopes have Apache pine and Mexican pinyon pine from Mexico’s Sierra Madre range. Yuccas and sotol from the Chiricahua Desert coexist with agaves and prickly pear cactus from the Sonoran Desert. Lichens of many colors, including neon green, adorn the pinnacles while ferns thrive in shade.

Birdwatchers flock here for the diversity of birds, including many Mexican species at the northern limit of their range. Or you may spot an elusive coatimundi, and Arizona white-tailed deer, or – found only in these mountains – a Chricahua fox squirrel. Mountain spiny lizards and black-tailed rattlesnakes are twon of the many reptile species.