Naco Arizona

By Franklin Lane, Cohort 1

Just like there are two Nogales’ (ambos Nogales) there is also a Naco, Arizona (pop. ~800) and a Naco, Sonora (pop. ~20,000). Both Nacos are located about (30) miles east of Sierra Vista and maybe (12) miles south of Bisbee, Arizona.  There are a couple cool reasons to make this easy day trip from Tucson.  The first is to visit the re-habilitation site of Camp Naco and the second to experience the mammoth kill site just northwest of town.

In the words of the Naco Heritage Alliance:

“Camp Naco was established in 1911 in Naco, Arizona as a tent camp manned by the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry of Buffalo Soldiers from Fort Huachuca to keep hostilities from the Mexican Revolution from spilling across the border.  In 1919 the US War Department made it a permanent installation.  Part of a 1,200-mile chain of military camps along the border from Texas to Arizona.  Camp Naco was one of only two constructed of adobe and the only one still standing.  The camp was decommissioned in 1923 & repurposed for a Civilian Conservation Corps Camp in the 1930’s.  It passed into private ownership in 1960 and is now owned by the City of Bisbee.”

The Naco Heritage Foundation has received several State and Federal grants to rehabilitate the facility into a community center, historical destination and museum.  Currently, it is only open to the public during occasional programed events.  These events often include participation by the Fort Huachuca Chapter of the Southwest Association of Buffalo Soldiers.  Details can be found at: CampNacoAz.org.

About a mile north of Camp Naco where Greenbush Draw crosses S. Willson Rd. is the Mammoth Kill site first discovered by a local rancher in 1951.  The rancher, Marc Navarrete, turned two clovis points over to the University of Arizona.  Emil Haury excavated the site in 1952 and uncovered the Colombian Mammoth remains and (6) additional clovis points.  The site has been completely scrubbed so casual access is only discouraged by a couple strands of BLM wire.  It is a somewhat chilling experience to stand in the site and reflect on the action that occurred ten to twelve thousand years ago.

A final interesting stop in Naco is the Gay 90’s Bar.  My extensive research has determined that this maybe the closest saloon to the US-Mexico line (maybe 100 feet) of anywhere along the Arizona border.  It also serves as a defacto historical museum until Camp Naco is completed.  Ask the bartender about Naco’s true claim to fame, as being the only Continental United States city ever bombed by a foreign power.  During the Escobar rebellion in 1929 rebel forces hired an Irish-American pilot/mercenary (Patrick Murphy) to bomb Mexican Federal forces in Naco Sonora.  Several errant bombs fell on the US side.  Aerial bombing was far from an exact science in 1929!