Dragoon Springs Station on the Butterfield Trail has a dramatic history. Hear the harrowing tale of the September, 1858 massacre from Gerald Ahnert in the video below.
Ahnert’s book, The Butterfield Trail Through Arizona’s New Frontier, tells more about Dragoon Springs and the entire Arizona segment of the Overland Mail route, 1858-1861. It’s available for purchase below.
I visited the Dragoon Springs site in April, 2026 and was able to compare photos taken by Roscoe and Margaret Conkling in 1929 with the current state of the ruins, which have seen considerable deterioration over the past century but are still quite recognizable.
Below on the left, Conkling Dec. 1929 photo of station ruin at Dragoon Springs, Arizona, looking southeast. On the right, my April 2026 photo of the ruin from a similar angle, looking slightly more east.
On the left, Conkling Dec. 1929 photo looking southeast into Jordan Canyon from west side of station ruins. On the right, my April 2026 photo of the same view.
On the left, Conkling Dec. 1929 sketch of Dragoon Spring Station, on the right my aerial photo of the station ruin.
susan dragoo 