The Naco Heritage Alliance was formed in 2008 as an Arizona non-profit,tax-exempt corporation. The all-volunteer Naco Heritage Alliance has been working with Huachuca City to preserve and safeguard the adobe buildings. The buildings need to be rehabilitated, but the first priority has been to stabilize the walls and roofs to prevent further deterioration. Ultimately, a fully restored Camp Naco co
uld have multiple uses, including being a museum exploring the history of the borderlands. Camp Newell, or Camp Naco, consists of 23 buildings on seventeen acres in the northwest section of the border town of Naco, Arizona. This military compound was constructed between 1919 and 1923 as part of the War Department’s Mexican Border Defense construction project, a plan to build a 1200- mile “fence” along the southern U.S. border. American soldiers were the primary component of this “fence,” and the construction project was to establish or to upgrade border military posts to protect the soldiers against the elements and to protect U.S. citizens and economic interests. In 1919, the plan for the camp in Naco, part of the Tenth Cavalry Division Patrol District, was for the construction of 35 adobe buildings, the only site of the nine western camps to be constructed of adobe and the only site in Arizona largely intact. While the southwest was no stranger to unrest and military activity in the late 1800s and early 1900s, it was the beginning of the Mexican Revolution in 1910 which caused the U.S. Government significant concerns over the vulnerability of this its southern flank. In response, the Government sent troops to the border. Naco had a military presence from 1911 through the end of 1923, with troop strength ranging from 50 to over 5000 through the years. While the War Department stationed elements of many units in Naco, the primary presence was the Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Regiments, and later the 25th Infantry Regiment, all Buffalo Soldier units. The Ninth and Tenth Cavalry Regiments were commended for their service during the Battle of Naco in 1914, receiving a special commendation from the President and the Chief of Staff for their exceptional service in preserving the Neutrality Laws despite being under almost constant threat of gunfire. In 1922, the 25th Infantry Regiment took over for the Tenth and, in December 1923, closed the station in Naco. The Camp in Naco now stands empty, a rapidly fading chapter in this region’s history; preservation is the key to ensuring the Camp is not lost forever. Based on an initial nomination for listing in the National Register of Historic Places, the State Historical Preservation Office determined the Camp to be eligible as a military district, with the provision that additional documentation was needed to verify the construction and use of the compound. Recent discoveries have narrowed the construction time line and the purpose of the barracks and have verified the co-existence of Buffalo Soldiers and the barracks in Naco; however, additional time is needed to continue the research on these abandoned barracks- time which is running out. A recent fire destroyed four buildings emphasizing the fragility of the compound and the urgency of preservation. While the Camp achieved recognition in the 1930s as a Civilian Conservation Corps site, its original purpose as a military camp has particular historic significance as it serves as a reminder of all of the soldiers who stood watch on the border protecting American interests. It is now our turn, every citizen of this country, to protect the memory of those soldiers by protecting this monument of their service. Photo courtesy of Bisbee Mining and Historical Museum
Report compiled by Debby Swartzwelder
