
About Bear Valley raid
Bear Valley, in Santa Cruz County, Arizona, is remembered primarily as the site of a violent 1886 raid during Geronimo's War. Over two days in late April of that year, a band of Chiricahua Apaches struck four cattle ranches in and around the valley, killing four settlers — among them a woman and her infant. A young girl taken captive during the attack was found dead in the days that followed, and raiders stole or destroyed a significant amount of private property.
Today Bear Valley is a ghost town, and visitors should expect little in the way of developed infrastructure or preserved structures. The site is significant chiefly as a historic landmark tied to one of the final chapters of the Apache Wars in the Arizona Territory.
Know before you go
12:39 PM
Sunrise
7:32 PM
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2:25 AM
Sunset
Golden Hour AM → 1:13 PM
Golden Hour PM ← 1:50 AM
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