Cibola National Forest/Warm Spring Apaches Stuff
Posted by Pete | Posted in News | Posted on 02-07-2010
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Ok, time for another installment of my stuff writing. Now you remember me telling you in the camping stuff post about Cibola National Forest being broken up into three segments, right? Well, I want to tell you about the section west of Socorro. If you look at a New Mexico map and see the towns (that may be overstating facts) of Winston and Chloride. Ok, just north of there at the tail end of the Cibola National Forest and at the county line lies the Reservation of the Warm Spring Apache Tribe (abandoned) that I have researched so much and have developed a fondness.(Some maps will show it). Chief Victorio was one of the most fierce of all the Apache chieftains, but we certainly pushed him in that direction. After all, he stood in the way of silver mining and potential gold mining and copper mining for goodness sake. We could not let that happen by some 400 strong tribe (probably at their biggest), could we? His tribe was massacred Oct 14 and 15, 1880 down in Mexico. The remnants of the tribe joined Geronimo and the Chiricahuas. Well, we conquered them and kept them and the Chiricahua tribe prisoners of war for 27 years. We hauled them off to Florida, Alabama and then Oklahoma and said this is your new home boys, never to return….I don’t know why, but the reservation lies idle today, and I guess it is to allow the spirits of the Warm Spring Tribe to forever enjoy that area they so dearly cherished and called home….You remember our Govornor disallowed the Fort Sill Apaches to build a casino down at Lordsburg, huh? They are some of the descendants of the Warm Springs and Chiricahua…We did not need another casino, but had it been me, I would have allowed it just because of the history of the tribe…I have Mississippi Choctaw blood from my Granny Hester, I’m not sure how strong, but I guess it’s strong enough to feel some kinship for my Apache brothers….


