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Battle of Turret Peak

Michael has a BA in History & American Studies and an MSc in American History from the University of Edinburgh. He comes from a proud military family and has spent most of his career as an educator in the Middle East and Asia. His passion is travel, and he seizes any opportunity to share his experiences in the most immersive way possible, whether at sea or on the land.

Picture of General Crook
General Crook

Location/History

Just North of Cave Creek, the area of Bloody Basin was the site of a bitter skirmish on March 27, 1873. It formed part of Gen. George Crook’s Tonto Basin campaign to force the Apaches and Yavapais to submit to reservations. Capt. George Randall, leading a small force including Apache scouts, surprised a rancheria ensconced near the crest of Turret Peak. The battle at Turret Peak proved to the Indians that there was no sanctuary from the soldiers.

The pressure on the Tonto Apaches began to have its effects. With the army destroying any discovered food storage areas, the Apaches were beginning to suffer. Hunger drove the Apaches to surrender. By 1877 about 5,000 Indians from various tribes shared the San Carlos Reservation.

Two weeks later, most of the Apaches and Yavapais surrendered to Crook at Camp Verde, Arizona. Army scouts trailed a group of Apaches to the top of Turret Peak. The scouts crept up the peak during the night. At dawn they captured or killed nearly all of the Apaches.

The Battle of Turret Peak proved to be a major turning point. The time of the Tonto Apaches along Cave Creek was over and a new era of mining was coming to Cave Creek.

Cave Creek Regional Park
Park Supervisor Natalie Olson
NatalieOlson@mail.maricopa.gov
37019 N. Lava Lane
Cave Creek, AZ 85331
(623) 465-0431

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