Camp Verde: Texas Frontier Defense

The Verde Valley the seemingly easy route to West Texas was in fact a land of peril, adventure, and near mythic heroes. Historic Camp Verde has long been a strategic stronghold guarding the pass, the valley and the many trails converging at this river crossing. As frontiersman and settlers pushed through the pass and Native Americans responded with violent force, the famed Texas Rangers attempted to control the region. Officially established in 1856, the camp would become the testing ground for the Army’s Camel Experiment and an outpost for Robert E. Lee’s legendary Second U.S. Cavalry. Join local historian Joseph Luther as he narrates the tumultuous and uniquely Texan history of Camp Verde.