One hundred and fifty years ago today, the Yavapai and Apache people were removed from the land they had been promised by President Ulysses S. Grant via Executive Order called the Rio Verde Reserve on November 9, 1871.

Consisting of 900 square miles along the Verde River from Camp Verde upriver to the old wagon crossing from Prescott to Santa Fe near Drake. This land consists of what is today, Jerome, Clarkdale, Cottonwood, Cornville, Middle Verde and parts of Camp Verde.

Without consultation or consent, and after roughly three years on the Rio Verde Reserve, they were force-marched in the dead of winter to the concentration camp at San Carlos located east of Phoenix. All with inadequate clothing, worn-out shoes or moccasins, or none at all and snow and raging rivers at every turn. It was a cruel undertaking, and a marvel that any of them reached their destination after three weeks, ending on March 20, 1875.

An Army Doctor, William Henry Corbusier, who was present on the awful journey, describes the trip as follows:

“On February 27, 1875, they started with 1400 Indians from the Rio Verde Agency, all on foot, to tramp about 150 miles by rough trails, over high mountains and across numerous streams that were liable at any hour to rise many feet and become impassable. I had seen the Verde come raging down, tearing away everything before it, great trees and even large rocks carried before it. They had to carry all of their belongings on their backs in their V-shaped burden baskets, old and young with heavy packs. One old man placed his aged and decrepit wife in one of these baskets, with her feet hanging out, and carried her on his back supported by a band around his head, an average of eight and a half miles a day for some ten days. The fifteen cavalrymen, who were along as a guard for the commissioner and the agency employees, carried as many as possible of the cripple, weaker ones and foot-sore children on their horses. One day, at least two babes were born on the trail. These were wrapped in blankets and carried to the next camp before any other covering could be provided for them; the mothers, after a short rest, following on foot.”

A monument in front of the Yavapai-Apache Cultural Resource Center depicting the old man carrying his wife in a burden basket stands as a symbol to this struggle and their survival.

“Their progress was slow; the cattle that were driven along to be slaughtered as needed for food, soon became foot-sore on the rough steep trails and many had to be left behind. At length the supply of beef and flour gave out, and the Indians ate the stems of the Canada thistle and such other greens as they could find, and then the women and children began to cry with hunger. One evening a deer ran along the side of the mountain above our camp…..many shots were fired by but missed. As it came opposite our tent, Al Sieber fired and it fell.” The deer was fought over, but it was not enough to feed the starving masses.

“Ten days had passed since we left the agency – 10 days of untold and unnecessary suffering and privation – 10 days which left their scars on whites and Indians alike, never to be healed.”

“The rest of the way was by easy trail, downgrade to the San Carlos River. By easy trail is a comparative term, because the country between Pinal Creek and San Carlos was little less rugged and desolate than that which they had already passed. And so, the sick, weak, and worn-out bands struggled into San Carlos, located on the north bank of the Gila River.”

“A Short History of The Yavapai-Apache Nation” written and published in 2018 with the help of Apache Cultural Director Vincent Randall and Yavapai Culture Director Gertrude Smith, provides the following message to the Youth of the Yavapai-Apache Nation:

“History is hard to get your head around. Many people find it boring and pay no attention to it at all. In the case of Native American history, it is often difficult to read and learn about because it is full of tragedy, violence and loss; loss of life and loss of culture. The Conquest was a long time ago, but its memory lingers like a cloud over the old lands. The forced Exodus of your Ancestors from the Verde Valley to San Carlos happened nearly 150 years ago and even though the pain of it has diminished over the decades, the scar still remains. As part of your heritage, it is celebrated every year at the end of February to remind us of the hardship and injustice they experienced. Yet your ancestors gutted it out and returned to their Homelands of the Verde Valley after the Exile was over only to find other people living in what had been their home country and still, they carried on the best they could by working hard and never giving in.”

We at the Clarkdale Historical Society and Museum recognize the story of Clarkdale is not just about the miners, ranchers, farmers and others that settled here and created the town that exists today. But rather, it is rich in the history of the Yavapai-Apache people that were here long before the settlers came. And, upon their return to the Verde Valley from a twenty-five-year exile, they contributed to the growth of Clarkdale as well. Whether it was working at the mines or the smelter, at the power house or on the roads, as maids, laundresses, cooks or basket weavers, their impact to the community cannot be overstated.

With the help of the late Vincent Randall, Apache elder and lifetime resident of Clarkdale, we set up a small display in our museum to recognize the Yavapai-Apache people of Clarkdale. We encourage you to visit the museum and would also like to hear your family stories and help keep their memories alive.