Distance from Tucson
65 miles southeast

Fort Huachuca was founded in 1877 to serve as a base for troops fighting the Apaches. Driving through the grasslands around Fort Huachuca imagine yourself as a nineteen year old trooper riding horseback through the tall grass and looking for Apaches. The Apaches were legendary among the troops for their ability to disappear in the terrain. Seldom fighting fixed battles, they preferred stealth. Constant watchfulness was the price of life when they were about. A casual trooper easily became a dead trooper in Apache country.

Like many military posts, Fort Huachuca has grown a fringe of intense commercial development but the areas surrounding the city are of outstanding natural beauty. The Fort has been a base for tank training for many years and you can see the evidence of that on ridges of the Huachuca Mountains beyond the post. The principle mission of the post today is the sophisticated radio communication which forms the nerve system of the modern battle field. Many troops from the Fort served with distinction in the recent Desert Shield and Desert Storm operations. Incidentally, the big balloon you may see about the Fort is operated as a radar surveillance device to detect drug smuggling planes coming in from Mexico.

The Fort Huachuca Museum is a fine facility with full coverage in photos and materials tracing the Fort from its Indian fighting days.