We had a great time touring the Fort and talking with the people who were "in character." The Calvary Sargent, Buffalo Soldier, and store keeper and his wife were great. We were most impressed with a 16 year old girl who took on the part of one of the forts commanders wife. She was very good and gave us a glimpse into what life must have been like in the Arizona territory.If we are in the area again we will return.
I was glad to have made the trip here from Sedona, via Jerome. I learnt a lot in the small museum and it was quite surprising for us, who get our view of an army fort from movies, to see the real thing. It is important that places like this survive and benefit from visitors' contributions and the work of volunteers like the man who was cutting the grass on the parade ground while we were there. I would recommend it for families.
Close to the highway and can be done before or after Montezuma Castle. The visitor museum gives the history of the army and Indian scouts as well as old weapons etc. Beautifully kept grounds with a covered picnic area and bathrooms nearby.
Very interesting place to visit and learn something about the Army and Indian Wars in AZ. They have some of the old houses from the time with furnishings. There is also one of the homes that is the visitor center, and where there are many things from the 1870's. There was a Ranger who gave us a very good oral history of the Fort. Yes we would say Visit Fort Verde SP if you are in the area
Explorationof the camp was historical and amazing. Also the speakers where very charismatic and knowledgeable I would recommend every one that check it out
It was like standing in a room of the home at the Fort. Lots of information of things I had never heard before visiting Fort Verde. Looking forward to Saturday Feb 14th for the special event!
Several of the original fort buildings still exist. Great place to study Arizona history. They do hold re-enactment events throughout the year. The biggest is Fort Verde Days which is the second weekend in October.
This is an excellent historical site giving the real, not Hollywood, but the real history of the West. The folks in the Office/Gift Shop/Museum (the original headquarters of the Fort) is very good. The gift shop has a lot of books on Arizona and Western History as well as other items. The tour is self guiding and has only three of the original (other than the office) buildings and the flagpole (which is a ship's mast) but they are very interesting.
Most forts in the American west were not the wood palisades that were portrayed in John Wayne westerns. None had walls, as the Indians were raiders and never attacked forts. In fact, whether Fort Laramie, Fort Bowie, or Fort Verde, these forts were a resemblance of civilization in a hostile environment. There were shops, administration buildings, hospitals, stores, laundries, Company Quarters and homes for officers. Wives often followed the soldiers to these remote outposts. Fort Verde has a very interesting museum in the old Administration office which tells the story of the importance of the Apache scouts in bringing peace to the region. On the edge of the parade ground, there are three remaining buildings which house artifacts from the late 1800's. The displays offer a glimpse as to what life would have been like for these hardy people. The State has done a great job with this park.
We stopped by Fort Verde on kind of a whim, and I'm glad we did. It gives the Indian more credit than what 99% of the movies do. It's a rather small facility, but very interesting. If you're in the area, it's definitely worth your time to stop in.