APACHE COUNTY, ARIZONA

Apache County contains parts of the Navajo Indian Reservation, the Fort Apache Indian Reservation, and Petrified Forest National Park, Canyon de Chelly National Monuments entirely within the county. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the county has a total area of 11,218 square miles, of which, 11,205 square miles  of it is land and 14 square miles  of it is water.

Adjacent counties Greenlee County, Arizona- south Graham County, Arizona- south Navajo County, Arizona- west Montezuma County, Colorado- northeast San Juan County, Utah - north San Juan County, New Mexico- east McKinley County, New Mexico- east Cibola County, New Mexico - east Catron County, New Mexico - east Apache County was created in 1879 and lies in the northeastern corner of the Territory. Until March, 1895, it also included what is now Navajo County. Apache County is justly noted for its great natural resources and advantages. It is destined some day in the early future to have a large agricultural population. Now, immense herds of cattle and flocks of sheep roam over its broad mesas and its fertile valleys. The Navajo Indians occupy the northern part of the county-in fact, occupy much of the remainder of the county, as they refuse to remain on their reservation, preferring to drive their sheep and cattle on lands outside their reservation, where the grazing is better. The southern part is a fine grazing country, while the northern part is cut up into picturesque gorges and canons by the floods of past centuries.

In the late 1880s, the county Sheriff was Old West gunfighter legend Commodore Perry Owens. At that time, the county covered more than 21,177 square miles in territory. In September, 1887, near Holbrook in what is now Navajo County, Owens was involved in one of the Old West's most famous gunfights, when he killed three men and wounded a fourth while serving a warrant on outlaw Andy Blevins/Andy Cooper, an active participant in a raging range war, later dubbed the Pleasant Valley War. Apache County is one of only 38 county-level census divisions of the United States where the most spoken language is not English and one of only 3 where it is neither English nor Spanish. 58.32% of the population speak at home, followed by English at 38.34% and Spanish at 2.72%.
(Contributed by Fawn)