The Massacre & The Battle at Dragoon Springs Station
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Published 2023-12-20
Located south of Dragoon, Arizona, about 60 miles from Tucson, are the remains of one of two fortified stage stations that were built in Arizona as part of the Butterfield Overland Stagecoach. Before the station was even opened, it was the site of what became known as the Massacre at Dragoon Springs, where three laborers from Mexico went on a bloody rampage with axes in an effort to rob the station, leading to the deaths of four men, and an incredible tale of survival.
Dragoon Springs Station was built as a fortress, and that was because it was located firmly in Apache territory, at the foot of the Dragoon Mountains, the stronghold of Cochise. In 1862 the Apache would play a part in the history of the station, as a hundred Apache warriors would battle Confederate soldiers in the First Battle of Dragoon Springs, an Apache victory.
The First Battle of Dragoon Springs would lead to four Confederate deaths, the western most Confederate deaths during the American Civil War. The three soldiers and one stock hand were buried just outside the station.
Also in this video, we travel to the site of the actual Dragoon Springs and come across a few relics from the area's mining days.
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All Comments (21)
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To call Mr. St. John tough is a major understatement. Living to 84 alone around the turn of the century was a feat. Let alone for someone who went through the hell he did. That man was a BEAST!
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Beautifully done, Steve. I love your choice of lesser-known locations to explore. Your narration and editing are outstanding, and I always learn a lot. Thanks so much!
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Very good video sir. My father in law and his sons ran cattle not to far from there back in the 40’s and early 50’s. He told me stories of cowboying that country that made your hair stand on end. Times have certainly changed from the days when he would take his 12 & 11 year old sons out there and leave them for a month or more on their own with a wagon, some food and water and a few head of horses to tend and gather their cattle. I don’t think many of us would have survived. My brother in law still cowboys on his ranch to this day. I really look up to him and miss my father in law.
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Hello Sir, I live in Benson, 15 minutes from where you are in this video. I grew up hiking, hunting and camping all over those mountains. There is so much history up there and in this valley, most of which you can easily access. There is everything from the Indian wars, the Earp days all the way to Clovis people and petrified mammoth tracks. I can lead you to petroglyphs and ruins and so many sites you could have years worth of content. I would be happy to point out some locations if you are interested. Thanks for the great video.
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I'm a 63 year old native Arizonan. This is the first time I've heard this story. Thank you.
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That last structure on the way to the spring possibly could have been a spring house, where water was diverted and allowed to collect in a pool and sheltered from the elements.
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Great post! Your narration is excellent, the phrasing is perfect, with great pauses for emphasis! Your channel is on another level compared to 99% of YT posts! Thanks!
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I'm a Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache that is a direct descendant of Warm Springs Chiricahua Apache chief's Victorio, Mangas Coloradas, and Loco and I am also a direct descendant of Chiricahua Apache US Scouts Charles Martine Sr and Paul Guydelkon Sr. I need to visit this place when I go through that area to Tucson. I live in New Mexico on an Apache reservation.
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I've been there twice in the last few years. You did some good research to tell the story. Some of the hike towards the actual spring is taxing and I had to stop to catch my breath. You did a great job of eliminating the sounds of walking, the wind and breathing hard. Very nice presentation. Thank you.
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Steve you are the best teacher of western history and you don't make it boring like books. Thank you!
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I am a European (Dutch) and I,m absolutely mesmerized. Of course I saw western movies, but these films did not give me the right idea of the correct landscape.This is totally different of what I had in mind. Also people settling and living and facing all the dangers in this remote areas is stunning. Thank you Steve.
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I live in Northern Ireland and would love to have been able to visit places like this. Plus definitely would have loved to see Cochises grave but at least he can rest in peace. Loved your narration of this story.
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Wow, what a gruesome story. Thanks for all the effort you put into this.
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I would contact the State of AZ Mines Department to see if that mine shaft is registered. There could be more information provided for that area you explored. If anything, the State Mines Department could note the area and put up signs announcing danger in and around this potential abandoned mine. Abandoned and unregistered mines in the AZ can bring injury and fatalities to unsuspecting explorers. Excellent video and story provided. You continue to do and provide great insight to our historic and iconic American Southwest. Thank you again.
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If my Dad was still with us you would be his number one fan,he loved the south west and traveled off the beaten path every chance he got,I think of him every time I watch one of your videos,thanks for all your efforts🤗😎🤗😎
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Hello! Many of your recent videos have connected strongly with me. I am from El Paso, TX and my dad is from Douglas, AZ. My parents used to go to see each other over the South Line of the SPRR. My great grandmother's first husband was J.W. Walton who was a victim of the Raid in Columbus, NM. Also, I lived in San Diego from 1970 to 1994. I spent a lot of time in Las Cruces and Deming, NM. I have lived in Tucson since 1994 and have been all over Cochise, Co. AZ and know of many of the sites you have visited. Your channel is nice, informative, warm and meaningful. Thanks.
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Being an Arizona native I love this history lesson! Great job of telling the story!
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The structure you pointed out at 12:30 is a basin for collecting gold during high water runoff. I’ve seen similar walls built in Mexico that prospectors built to capture gold carried by storm runoff.
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Dang Steve, you're really good at this. Thanks for sharing as always!
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As a person whose father dragged us all over The West in the 1960s with his radar technician turned space shuttle comms engineer job assignments, 4 kids, a hunting dog and a wife, my little brother was born at Ft Huachuca we lived for a short time in Tombstone and me, as an adult driving I10 countless times across the West for decades and living in Tucson and beyond, stopping at the Dragoon Springs rest area around 2006 during a complete downpour, and camping in extreme cold in 2018 at Benson, you just never know what happened just right down the road until savvy people like you dig deeper and brave the elements and danger to give us these history stories, also my dad's ancestors were Mormons who settled in Willcox, Snowflake, Oaxaca, Missouri and Provo Utah, so all of this makes me want so badly to get out there and see this places you are showing us in this video and others. I feel so connected, misconnected to the history and my 6 grandkids grew up in Atlanta under their mother's thumb so they really have no clue as to half of their background. Thank you so much!
