There’s a stone marker along Forest Road 300 on the Mogollon Rim that most people drive right past. On July 17, 1882, roughly 60 White Mountain Apache under Na-ti-o-tish were pursued north from the San Carlos Reservation after attacks in the Tonto Basin and Pleasant Valley. Elements from 14 U.S. cavalry companies were sent after them. Near East Clear Creek, the Apache group prepared an ambush above a steep canyon. Army scouts discovered the position first, and fighting broke out that afternoon. Two men with the Army force were killed. Apache losses are uncertain, with historical accounts ranging from 16 to 27. The fight became known as the Battle of Big Dry Wash and is often described as the last major battle between the U.S. Army and Apache forces in Arizona. Major is the key word. The Apache Wars continued for four more years, until Geronimo surrendered in 1886. Most surviving written accounts of the battle came from Army officers, scouts and settlers. The Apache perspective ...