Ghost hunt of Fort Bowie Cemetery, AZ

Investigation Report

Location: Fort Bowie Cemetery, AZ
Date: 02 Sept 2001
Personnel Participating: Cody Polston, Jessica Irwin
Weather Conditions: Clear
Humidity: 17%
Geomagnetic Storm Activity: Unsettled
Temperature: 92
Number of Photos taken: 66
Number with possible targets: 2
Average EM Readings: 3 mg
Average M fields Readings: 1 nt
Average E Field Readings: 1 vpm
Cold Spots detected: None
Hot Spots Detected: None
Olfactory Phenomena: None
Visual Phenomena: None
Type of Investigation: Ghost Hunt

Location Description and History

Fort Bowie was established in 1862 to help in the fight against the Apache Indians and Geronimo. The fort that stands today was built in 1868. In 1886, after Geronimo's final surrender, Fort Bowie was no longer a military fort and served travelers until 1894. The Second Calvary troopers packed up and left for their new home in Colorado. The land was sold in 1911 for $1.25 to $2.50 an acre and many of the buildings dismantled. In 1964, the site was authorized to be a National Historic site as it is today.

Ft. Bowie served as a base of operations for the resulting offenses against Geronimo in 1885. The commanding generals at Ft. Bowie during the 1885-86 campaign were Gen. George Crook and Nelson Miles. After Geronimo's final surrender in 1886, he and his followers, now numbering only 34 were brought to the post. On September 8, as a photographer focused his camera lens on this historic scene, the Apaches were loaded into

wagons to begin their journey to Florida where the remainder of the Chiricauhuas at San Carlos had already been exiled. Geronimo later died at Ft. Sill, Oklahoma.

Fort Bowie was also the site of the Bascom Affair, a wagon train massacre, and the battle of Apache Pass, where a large force of Chiricahua Apaches under Mangus Colorados and Cochise fought the California Volunteers.

Reported Phenomena

There are many reports of "ghost lights" that occur in the fall and early winter. According to the stories, the lights are spirits of people who have died at or near the fort. The lights are typically blue or white in color and are most often seen down by the old cemetery.

The Investigation

We got on a really rough road to old Fort Bowie, where the Army had its headquarters in the fight against Cochise and his Apaches. It was a mile and a half trek through mountainous terrain to get to the fort after we reached a parking area.

Once on the trail, we suddenly experienced an overwhelming sense of the lonely isolation soldiers must have felt while stationed here. Numerous markers along the way identify various species of flora, historical incidents, and the distance every 1/4 mile, so you always know exactly how far you've come and how far you have to go. It was getting close to dusk when we noticed the huge number of rattlesnakes along the trail. We stopped counting them after almost running into number fifteen.

Our original plans were to look at the old fort as well, but the thought of having to hike back through the barrage of rattlesnakes was not appealing. So we limited our efforts to the fort's cemetery so we could make it back to the parking area before it got too dark.

Photographs

Click on the thumbnails to view the larger image

Initial Conclusions

One of the most unusual pictures we took at the cemetery is thumbnailed on the left. There is a light in the upper right corner that was not present, at least to the naked eye.

There were no reflective surfaces on the mountains behind and a flash was not used, ruling out insects or air borne contaminants.

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