Cochise 1812-1874

Born in Arizona in 1812, Cochise, the son of a Chiricahua Apache chief, inherited the leadership of the Chiricahuas in about 1850. The same year, by the Treaty of Guadalupe, the United States took control over present-day New Mexico and Arizona territory.

During the first years of American control, all was quiet, but in 1858, the route of a transcontinental stage line was laid out across the Chiricahua territory. Cochise allowed the Butterfield Overland stage line to build a station at Apache Pass. He even agreed that his people could cut firewood for the station.

Fighting broke out in 1861 when a white rancher’s child was taken from a ranch near Ft. Buchanan. Cochise met with Lieutenant George Bascom at the Apache Pass station. Bascom surrounded the tent where they were meeting and accused the Apache chief of abducting the boy. Told that his family and he would be held prisoner until the child was freed, Cochise slashed through the tent and escaped. However, members of his family were held as prisoners. The Apache Wars began.

Cochise joined with Mangas Coloradas and led a guerilla campaign against U.S. and Mexican forces. After a significant defeat where soldiers ripped through the Indians with shrapnel-loaded Howitzers, Cochise never again attempted a mass attack on the soldiers. He preferred to attack travelers, prospectors, and settlers. No Apache band was ever conquered, and the wars lasted ten long years.

Finally, in 1872, Cochise concluded a peace treaty with General Oliver O. Howard. In exchange for reservation land in eastern Arizona, Cochise agreed to abstain from attacks. However, the peace did not last long for Cochise. In 1874, he became ill and died within hours. His people put him to rest with full honors; his burial spot has remained a secret.

Check out more Noteworthy Natives at: https://nativepartnership.org/noteworthy-natives/