Rob Krentz, the victim in this border incident was a neighbor to the Kimball family who gave me access to film in Skeleton Canyon. (See film clip from Geronimo Country on our Works in Progress page.)
The drug cartel madness infecting Mexico makes any visit to the Canyon de los Embudos even less likely than before. Located only 25 miles south-east from Douglas, AZ, this important site in frontier history remains inaccessible. Ironically, the situation probably is not disimilar from when Geronimo’s “last hold out band” prowled the mountains & rocky desert of the region. It is a waiting game.
Geronimo (far right) and his warriors, circa 1886
May 10-17 BH productions return to New Mexico to continue filming Geronimo’s Country. Topics to be covered, if all goes well, include visits to the San Carlos Agency AZ., that Geronimo escaped from in 1885. This was to be his final break-out/raid & concluded with his surrender at Skeleton Canyon, Sept. 1886. Also, we hope to go to Geronimo’s birthplace located north of the Mogollon range & not easy to access.
Jerry Eagan, our guide, fell & broke his ankle while hiking alone since our last visit. Filming will begin with a visit to where the fall took place & include the story of how he dragged himself through the rocks and back to his vehicle.
Death & damage await all who enter this tough landscape. Nothing has changed much since the Spanish began raping the ground for copper in the 18th century. Water remains the key to survival & must be shared with rattlesnakes & mountain lions. Even the people encountered on the trail must be viewed with suspicion. Each of us in this primordial setting must ask ourselves the simple question: are we predators, or are we prey?
Tags: Geronimo, geronimo country, jerry eagan, New Mexico
Brian, I seriously doubt that Geronimo was born N of the Mogollons….Geronimo stated that he was born at the headwaters of the Gila river, around Clifton Az. Now, he might not have known exactly where the headwaters of the Gila were, but he certainly knew where Clifton Arizona is…
I visited Canon Los Embudos on 25 March 2015, 129 years exactly since the famous meeting between Geronimo and Crook. We were off Mexico highway 2 on reasonable dirt roads for about 4 hours and did not see anyone. I was with a friend of Mexican origin in a four wheel drive vehicle. There are ranches in the area and I believe it’s perfectly safe to make the trip in daylight. It is a beautiful place and just as it was in Apache times.
Also last October, I visited the Loco-Tupper battle site of April 28 1882 in the Sierra Enmedio, Chihuahua. Except for the last few miles, access is on good roads. The site is on a private ranch at a location called Los Huerigos where we got permission to pass through a locked gate.
In both cases its is essential to have Mexican topo maps 1/60,000 scale.