WORDS BY VINCENT MURRAY
Archaeological evidence found at Tuzigoot and Montezuma Castle National Monuments shows that centuries ago, Indigenous peoples migrated into the area, built communities, and farmed the region using irrigation ditches to divert water from creeks and other sources.
Contemporary Euro-American agriculture began hundreds of years later. In February 1865, a small group of non-Indigenous newcomers began settling in the Verde Valley. Concerned about the security of their livestock, crops, and families in the remote frontier region, the settlers converted one of the area’s ancient stone ruins into a rudimentary fort, dug a well, and excavated the Pioneer Ditch along the north bank of West Clear Creek in present-day Camp Verde.
By May, more than 200 acres of grain and vegetables had been planted, with part of the harvest ready for sale by August. The settlers quickly came into conflict with the Verde Valley’s longtime inhabitants, the Wipuhk’a’bah (Yavapai) and Dil’zhe’e (Tonto Apache).
Though culturally and linguistically distinct, both groups resisted the expansion of settlement into their homeland, prompting the establishment of a military garrison the following winter. By 1868, the fort was known as Camp Verde, and settlements stretched for miles along the river. In 1871, after two relocations, the military post reached its present location, now partly preserved as Fort Verde State Historic Park.
That year, the Wipuhk’a’bah and Dil’zhe’e were forcibly relocated to the Rio Verde Indian Reservation upstream. Three years later, in 1874, under the supervision of post commander Captain Julius Mason, and joined by the Tolkepaya and Yavapé (Northwestern Yavapai) from Camp Date Creek, the Wipuhk’a’bah and Dil’zhe’e excavated the Cottonwood Ditch and developed a small but productive farm in what is now Cottonwood’s Riverfront Park.
The following year, they were forcibly removed to the San Carlos Reservation about 180 miles away. Within a few years, the reservation lands were opened to homesteading, and the Cottonwood Ditch was extended through much of present-day Cottonwood. The government abandoned the fort in 1890, but because the post office kept the name Camp Verde, the town did as well.
Five years later, the military lands were opened to homesteading, and additional irrigation systems spread across the Verde Valley. By 1900, most of the land was privately owned. Although much of the land once used for farming or grazing has been developed for residential, commercial, and industrial uses, 42 ditch companies still operate in the Verde Valley between Sedona and the national forest south of Camp Verde.
These ditches irrigate lands that produce many of the fresh goods sold at local farmers markets, including the Verde Valley Farmers Market, which is located next to Fort Verde State Historic Park.
Knowing this history makes those foods more meaningful from market to table.
Learn more about the history of the region by visiting:
Fort Verde Historic State Park: azstateparks.com/fort-verde
Montezuma Castle National Monument: nps.gov/moca
Tuzigoot National Monument: nps.gov/tuzi
