Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q: Where’s the Fort?
A: About an hour and fifteen minutes north of Phoenix in Camp Verde, AZ.
Q: Who were the Native Americans in this area?
A: Yavapai (from the west) and Apache (from the south and east.)
Q: When was the military here?
A: From 1865 until 1891.
Q: When was Fort Verde operational?
A: From 1871 to 1891.
Q: Were all of the military stationed here Cavalry?
A: No. 65 percent of the soldiers in the entire southwest were actually Infantry.
Q: How many troops were stationed here?
A: The maximum number was 306 enlisted, 11 officers, 19 civilians, and 36 Apache Indian scouts. The average number of enlisted was only 110.
Q: Was Geronimo here?
A: No. Geronimo was a Chiricahua Apache and spent his time in southeastern Arizona and old Mexico.
Q: What was the pay in the Army?
A: A private started at $13 per month, a Sgt at $17 per month, and a Second Lieutenant at $116 per month although he, and all officers, had to pay most of his expenses out of his own pocket.
Q: Who were the Commanders at Fort Verde?
A: The senior Company Captain was usually the Commander of the Post.
Q: What is the difference between a Camp and a Fort?
A: In military parlance, a camp is temporary and a fort is permanent.
Q: How many men were in a company?
A: In the southwest, a Company would have about 64 privates. Companies were usually chronically short of men and a company of as few as 30 men was not uncommon.
Q: How did the troops get here?
A: Infantry (foot soldiers) usually marched from Fort Yuma on foot. Cavalry troops also often came in on foot as the military was chronically short of horses and mules in this area.
Q: Was there a military cemetery?
A: Yes, located about 1.5 miles north of the Fort, it held 52 bodies. The military bodies were exhumed in 1893 and sent for reburial at the Presidio in San Francisco. Two civilian bodies were re-interred at Prescott.
Q: When was the Fort deactivated?
A: The military left here April 11th 1891. The Fort was turned over to the Department of the Interior and held in a shut down status until 1899, when the property was declared excess and auctioned off building by building. It became a State Park in 1970.
