Clean-up Scheduled May 19

A group interested in preserving historic Camp Naco met Thursday, April 18, 2007, at the Turquoise Valley Country Club in Naco. This was the first time this year most of us had all sat down together to review our progress.
The items for discussion included a bank account for donations, updates on grant applications, clean-up, creating a mission statement, having a Charette, etc.
There are currently two grant applications under review, one with the State Historic Preservation Office, and one with the Center for Desert Archaeology. Decisions on both are expected sometime in May, 2007.
While hopeful the grants will be approved, clean-up of the property is necessary, in any event. There is an awful lot of trash both inside and outside the buildings which must be removed.
Debbie Swartzwelder has lined up a number of Lieutenants from Ft. Huachuca to assist on Saturday, May 19, 2007. She will be contacting Home Depot, Lowe's, and other appropriate businesses requesting donations of trash bags, gloves, and such. Dave Perryman, Gene McCullough, and others will work with Debbie in coordinating the event.
MARK May 19, 2007, on your calendar if you would like to come down to Camp Naco to help out. Because this is an historic site, this will be a monitored activity, but help is welcome. Contact us for additional information, and look for announcements in the Sierra Vista Herald.
The group also agreed to schedule regular meetings on the 3rd Thursday of the month at 4pm. If there is nothing to discuss, or a change in venue, group members will be contacted. If you would like to be kept informed, please contact us.
At this point there has not been any formal committee formed, but efforts are underway to create one that can apply for 501 (c) 3 non-profit status, allowing contributions to be tax-deductible.
Everyone acknowledges Huachuca City as the rightful owner, but having a 501 (c) 3 opens the door to so many grant opportunities that forming a non-profit advisory committee would be very helpful.
Chris Overlock presented a mock-up for a brochure describing the current status of the Camp, and will be in contact with other group members to work on revisions.

Though in disrepair, many of the original adobe buildings are still clearly identifiable as officer quarters, barracks, and a hospital. Camp Naco played an instrumental role in the Mexican Expedition when General John "Blackjack" Pershing led 10,000 soldiers, including then-Lt. George Patton, into Mexico in retaliation for Pacho Villa's raids into the United States.

The Camp is visible reminder of a time when the military relied on the horse cavalry. While troops came from all over the United States, of particular interest is the presence of the 10th Cavalry, known as the Buffalo Soldiers, at a time when the races were still segregated. Concern for border security during and after WWI kept the Camp in operation until 1923.

The historical importance of Camp Naco continued into the Great Depression when the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC) occupied the adobe compound and upgraded the facilities. That portions of the Camp were converted to residential housing enabled the buildings to avoid demolition. Vacant since 1990, Camp Naco is now at a crossroads. It will either be preserved as a vital link to a dramatic era which still reverberates throughout North America. Or it will be bulldozed and forgotten. It will either aid us in understanding the roots of the current border situation, or its rich history and great legacy will be buried and forever lost.