Fort Apache Indian Reservation, Arizona
 Seal of the White Mountain Apache tribe
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|
| Total population | |
|---|---|
| 12,429 | |
| Regions with significant populations | |
 United States ( Arizona) |
|
| Languages | |
| Western Apache, English | |
| Religion | |
| Christianity (especially Lutheranism), Native American Church, traditional tribal religion | |
| Related ethnic groups | |
| Western Apache, San Carlos Apache, Navajo |
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is an Indian reservation in Arizona, United States, encompassing parts of Navajo, Gila, and Apache counties. It is home to the federally recognized White Mountain Apache Tribe of the Fort Apache Reservation, a Western Apache tribe. It has a land area of 2,627 square miles (6,800 km2) and a population of 12,429 people as of the 2000 census. The largest community is in Whiteriver.
In 1871 General George Crook enrolled 50 White Mountain Apache men to serve as scouts for his army during the Apache Wars, which lasted for 15 years. These wars were ended with the surrender of the Chiricahua leader Geronimo in 1886. Because of the scouts’ service to General Cook during the Apache Wars, their tribe was able to maintain a large portion of their homeland as the White Mountain Apache reservation.
In 1922, the U.S. Army left Fort Apache. In 1923, the Bureau of Indian Affairs’ Theodore Roosevelt Indian Boarding School was established to use these facilities.
The school was designated a National Historic Landmark in 2012, as a component of Fort Apache Historic Park, which recognizes the former military complex. The Roosevelt Indian School now operates as a tribally controlled middle-school facility.
The White Mountain Apache created their own constitution under the Indian Reorganization Act of 1934. In 1936 they elected a tribal council that oversaw all tribe-owned property, local businesses, and governance in 1936.
The Fort Apache Indian Reservation is covered mostly by pine forests and is habitat to a variety of forest wildlife. It is located directly south of the Mogollon Rim. The highest point in the reservation is Baldy Peak, with an elevation of 11,403 feet (3,476 m).
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