After Fort Goodwin, Arizona, closed, the Gila Valley still needed protection, so the Army established a new post on the Gila River in the summer of 1876, about six miles East of old Fort Goodwin. The post was initially named Camp Thomas in honor of Adjutant General Lorenzo Thomas, who had died in 1875. Two years after it was built, the post was moved to the present-day townsite of Fort Thomas. At its peak, 27 buildings were situated at the fort, all constructed of adobe by the soldiers. Like its predecessor, Fort Goodwin, Fort Thomas also suffered malaria outbreaks throughout its existence. The post was re-designated as a fort in 1882 and became the regimental headquarters for the 3rd U.S. Cavalry that same year.

After the Battle of Cibecue on August 30, 1881, and until Geronimo’s final surrender in 1886, Fort Thomas remained an active military post. However, with the Apache Wars over, the troops were gradually moved to other posts, and the fort began to decline. The Department of the Interior took it over in the spring of 1891.

The town that grew up around the fort, which took its name from it, had a poor reputation in its earliest days, filled with brothels and saloons. The small, unincorporated community still exists today, but no remains of the fort remain.

A bronze plaque marks the site of the first Camp Thomas, reading “Geronimo.” It is on the North side of U.S. Highway 70, between the abandoned village of Geronimo and the present-day town of Fort Thomas. The site of the second Fort Thomas is about one mile West along U.S. Highway 70, across the highway from the Fort Thomas High School. No visible remains remain except for a few stones with mortar between them on a low hillside southeast of the original site.

 

©Kathy Alexander/Legends of America, updated October 2026.

Also See:

Arizona Forts

Arizona – The Grand Canyon State

Forts Across America

Forts & Presidios Photo Gallery

See Sources.