Fort Grant, Arizona
Encyclopedia
Fort Grant, located in the U.S. state of Arizona
, is a state prison and a former United States
Army fortification
. Fort Grant began its life as an Old West outpost in Arizona Territory
, built in 1860 at Aravaipa Canyon originally as Camp Grant.
, the United States Army fort was relocated to the southwestern slope of Graham Mountain in what is now Graham County
. The fort was strategically placed so as to protect settlers who were constantly harassed by Apache
warrior
s. It played a prominent role in the Apache Wars
of the 1880s. It was reproposed in 1900 as a staging point for soldiers going to the Philippines
to fight in the Philippine–American War.
Henry McCarty or (McCarthy), William Antrim, Henry Antrim, William McCarty, William Bonney, and William H. Bonney, or better known as, "Billy the Kid
," reportedly settled in the vicinity of Fort Grant in 1876 working as a ranch-hand and tending sheep nearby. In 1877 McCarty killed a local blacksmith at a saloon and gambling house that is now called the Bonita Store, located a few miles from Fort Grant. McCarty was taken into custody at the Fort Grant stockade, but escaped to New Mexico before he could be tried.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
was stationed at Fort Grant in 1896 as an enlisted man after failing the exam for entrance to West Point
. He was discharged in 1897 after being diagnosed with a heart condition that made him ineligible for a commission.
Fort Grant was abandoned in 1905 by the Army, which transferred all troops to Fort Huachuca
and left the fort unoccupied except for a caretaker
. In 1912, Arizona gained statehood
, and the fort was occupied by the Fort Grant State Industrial School, which modernized most of the buildings.
In 1968, the state of Arizona officially assigned the site to the Department of Corrections
, and in 1973 Fort Grant became a state prison
for male convicts. In 1997 the prison became a unit of an Arizona State Prison complex
headquartered in Safford
.
The main road to and from Fort Grant is Arizona State Route 266
. There is an abandoned general-aviation airport, Angel Field, immediately south of the prison.
Arizona
Arizona ; is a state located in the southwestern region of the United States. It is also part of the western United States and the mountain west. The capital and largest city is Phoenix...
, is a state prison and a former United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
Army fortification
Fortification
Fortifications are military constructions and buildings designed for defence in warfare and military bases. Humans have constructed defensive works for many thousands of years, in a variety of increasingly complex designs...
. Fort Grant began its life as an Old West outpost in Arizona Territory
Arizona Territory
The Territory of Arizona was an organized incorporated territory of the United States that existed from February 24, 1863 until February 14, 1912, when it was admitted to the Union as the 48th state....
, built in 1860 at Aravaipa Canyon originally as Camp Grant.
History
In 1872 after the Camp Grant MassacreCamp Grant Massacre
The Camp Grant Massacre, on April 30, 1871, was an attack on Pinal and Aravaipa Apaches who surrendered to the United States Army at Camp Grant, Arizona, along the San Pedro River. The massacre led to a series of battles and campaigns fought between the Americans, the Apache, and their Yavapai...
, the United States Army fort was relocated to the southwestern slope of Graham Mountain in what is now Graham County
Graham County, Arizona
-2010:Whereas according to the 2010 U.S. Census Bureau:*72.1% White*1.8% Black*14.4% Native American*0.5% Asian*0.1% Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander*2.8% Two or more races*8.3% Other races*30.4% Hispanic or Latino -2000:...
. The fort was strategically placed so as to protect settlers who were constantly harassed by Apache
Apache
Apache is the collective term for several culturally related groups of Native Americans in the United States originally from the Southwest United States. These indigenous peoples of North America speak a Southern Athabaskan language, which is related linguistically to the languages of Athabaskan...
warrior
Warrior
A warrior is a person skilled in combat or warfare, especially within the context of a tribal or clan-based society that recognizes a separate warrior class.-Warrior classes in tribal culture:...
s. It played a prominent role in the Apache Wars
Apache Wars
The Apache Wars were a series of armed conflicts between the United States and Apaches fought in the Southwest from 1849 to 1886, though other minor hostilities continued until as late as 1924. The Confederate Army participated in the wars during the early 1860s, for instance in Texas, before being...
of the 1880s. It was reproposed in 1900 as a staging point for soldiers going to the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
to fight in the Philippine–American War.
Henry McCarty or (McCarthy), William Antrim, Henry Antrim, William McCarty, William Bonney, and William H. Bonney, or better known as, "Billy the Kid
Billy the Kid
William H. Bonney William H. Bonney William H. Bonney (born William Henry McCarty, Jr. est. November 23, 1859 – c. July 14, 1881, better known as Billy the Kid but also known as Henry Antrim, was a 19th-century American gunman who participated in the Lincoln County War and became a frontier...
," reportedly settled in the vicinity of Fort Grant in 1876 working as a ranch-hand and tending sheep nearby. In 1877 McCarty killed a local blacksmith at a saloon and gambling house that is now called the Bonita Store, located a few miles from Fort Grant. McCarty was taken into custody at the Fort Grant stockade, but escaped to New Mexico before he could be tried.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
was stationed at Fort Grant in 1896 as an enlisted man after failing the exam for entrance to West Point
United States Military Academy
The United States Military Academy at West Point is a four-year coeducational federal service academy located at West Point, New York. The academy sits on scenic high ground overlooking the Hudson River, north of New York City...
. He was discharged in 1897 after being diagnosed with a heart condition that made him ineligible for a commission.
Fort Grant was abandoned in 1905 by the Army, which transferred all troops to Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca
Fort Huachuca is a United States Army installation under the command of the United States Army Installation Management Command. It is located in Cochise County, in southeast Arizona, about north of the border with Mexico. Beginning in 1913, for 20 years the fort was the base for the "Buffalo...
and left the fort unoccupied except for a caretaker
Property caretaker
A Property caretaker is a person, group or organization that cares for real estate for trade or financial compensation, and sometimes as a barter for rent-free living accommodations...
. In 1912, Arizona gained statehood
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
, and the fort was occupied by the Fort Grant State Industrial School, which modernized most of the buildings.
In 1968, the state of Arizona officially assigned the site to the Department of Corrections
Arizona Department of Corrections
The Arizona Department of Corrections is in charge of the incarceration of inmates in 10 prisons in the U.S. state of Arizona. As of April 2009, the ADC manages over 40,191 imprisoned inmates and over 7,216 inmates who have been paroled or that are statutorily released. ADC is also in involved in...
, and in 1973 Fort Grant became a state prison
Prison
A prison is a place in which people are physically confined and, usually, deprived of a range of personal freedoms. Imprisonment or incarceration is a legal penalty that may be imposed by the state for the commission of a crime...
for male convicts. In 1997 the prison became a unit of an Arizona State Prison complex
Arizona State Prison Complex - Safford
Arizona State Prison Complex – Safford is one of 13 prison facilities operated by the Arizona Department of Corrections . ASPC-Safford is located in Safford, Graham County, Arizona, 173 miles southeast from the state capital of Phoenix, Arizona....
headquartered in Safford
Safford, Arizona
- History :Safford was founded by Joshua Eaton Bailey, Hiram Kennedy and Edward Tuttle, who came from Gila Bend, in southwestern Arizona. They left Gila Bend in the winter of 1873-74; their work on canals and dams having been destroyed by high water the previous summer...
.
The main road to and from Fort Grant is Arizona State Route 266
Arizona State Route 266
State Route 266 is a highway in Graham County, Arizona that runs from its junction with US 191 south of Safford to Fort Grant. It is an east–west route.-Route description:...
. There is an abandoned general-aviation airport, Angel Field, immediately south of the prison.