Skeleton Cave (Arizona)
{{short description|Cave in Arizona}}
{{use mdy dates|date=March 2022}}
{{Infobox cave
| name = Skeleton Cave
| photo = File:Skeleton Cave.jpg
| photo_caption = Skeleton Cave located in Salt River Canyon
| location = Salt River Canyon Wilderness
| depth =
| length =
| coords = {{coord| 33.58136|-111.36858216 |region:US|format=dms|display=inline,title}}
| coords_ref =
| survey =
| survey_format =
| discovery =
| geology =
| entrance_count = 1
| entrance_list =
| embedded =
{{Infobox NRHP
| embed = yes
| name = Skeleton Cave Massacre Site
| nrhp_type =
| image =
| caption =
| nearest_city = Apache Junction, Arizona
| locmapin = Arizona#USA
| map_caption = Location in Arizona##Location in United States
| built = {{Start date|1872}}
| architecture = Natural Cave
| added = February 21, 1991
| area = {{convert|2|acre}}
| refnum = 91000100{{NRISref|version=2013a}}
}}
}}
Skeleton Cave is a cave in Maricopa County, Arizona, United States. The cave is within the Salt River Canyon Wilderness and is located on the northern wall of the Salt River Canyon near the Horse Mesa Dam. It was the site of the 1872 massacre of the Yavapai people in the Battle of Salt River Canyon.
It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1991.{{Cite web |title=Skeleton Cave Massacre Site |url=https://npgallery.nps.gov/AssetDetail/NRIS/91000100 |website=National Register of Historic Places |publisher=National Park Service |accessdate=2019-12-27}}
Background
A short distance from Canyon Lake, Skeleton Cave, also known as Apache Cave and Skull Cave, is a rock shelter formed by the overhang in the cliff wall. The cave is no deeper than {{convert|40|feet}}, and is approximately {{convert|118|feet}} wide. It sits {{convert|1200|feet}} above the river, at the base of a {{convert|170 |feet}} cliff.{{Cite web |title=Salt River Canyon, Arizona Battlefield |url=https://www.legendsofamerica.com/salt-river-canyon-arizona-battle |website=legendsofamerica.com}}
The cave was used by the Yavapais as a hideout from George Crook and the 5th Cavalry. On December 28, 1872, Crook and his soldiers massacred the Yavapais. This was the first principal engagement during the 1872 Tonto Basin Campaign and part of the 1871 to 1875 Yavapai War. The 5th Cavalry left the more than seventy bodies of the victims in the cave. From the time of the 1872 massacre{{Cite web |title=Dec. 28, 1872: Skeleton Cave Massacre |url=https://www.zinnedproject.org/news/tdih/skeleton-cave-massacre |website=Zinn Education Project |accessdate=2019-12-28}} until about 1905, the cave remained forgotten.{{Cite web |last=Block |first=Kathy |editor-last=Du Shane |editor-first=Neal |title=Skeleton Cave Massacre Site |url=https://www.apcrp.org/SKELETON_CAVE/Skeleton_Cave_Massacre_040312.htm |website=American Pioneer & Cemetery Research Project |accessdate=2019-12-29}}
In January 1908, local rancher Jack Adams visited the cave with a group of friends. The remains of the slain Yavapais were still in the cave along with remnants of their belongings, and this is how the cave acquired its name.{{Cite news |last1=Bangs |first1=Daniel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=U49LAQAAMAAJ&q=arizona+highway+magazine+%22skeleton+cave%22+1959 |title=Skeleton Cave |last2=Bangs |first2=Joseph |last3=Bangs |first3=Donald |date=February 1959 |work=Arizona Highways Magazine}} After 1908, with the construction of local dams, the cave was rediscovered and subsequently looted. In 1933, the remains of the massacre victims were relocated to Fort McDowell.
The wilderness area around the cave is managed by the United States Forest Service. Accessing the cave requires a difficult hike.{{Cite web |title=Skeleton Cave, AZ |url=https://hikearizona.com/decoder.php?ZTN=2387 |website=Hike Arizona |accessdate=2019-12-28}}
Further reading
- {{Cite book |last1=Ferg |first1=Alan |chapter=The Mortal Remains of Ethnicity: Material Culture and Cultural Identity at Skeleton Cave |last2=Tessman |first2=Norm |publisher=S.R.I Press |year=1998 |location=Tucson, Arizona |title=Vanishing River: Landscapes and Lives of the Lower Verde Valley}}
References
{{reflist}}
External links
- {{Cite news |last=Whitley |first=Claire |date=2018-09-06 |title=Massacre at Skeleton Cave: A four-hour battle turned into 54 dead Yavapai Native Americans |work=Verde Valley Newspapers, Inc. |url=https://www.verdenews.com/news/2018/sep/06/massacre-skeleton-cave-four-hour-battle-turned-54-/}}
- {{YouTube| 6lPgEr2_dxY |Salt River Cave Massacre: Skeleton Cave Explored (part 1 of 2) - Beau Ouimette aka Aquachigger}}
- {{YouTube| tH7t39_kRWQ |Salt River Cave Massacre: Skeleton Cave Explored (part 2 of 2) - Beau Ouimette aka Aquachigger}}
Category:Landforms of Maricopa County, Arizona
Category:National Register of Historic Places in Maricopa County, Arizona
Category:Conflict sites on National Register of Historic Places in Arizona
Category:Natural features on the National Register of Historic Places