Camp Reno: A Passport in Time

Passport in Time (PIT) is a volunteer cultural heritage resource program sponsored by the US Forest Service, and includes such partners as the Bureau of Land Management, some State Parks and HistoriCorps.

PIT has a long history on the Tonto National Forest, most notably in the 1990s with such projects as the Oxbow Hill Rock Art Documentation, the Flying V Archaeological Survey, and the East Verde River Pictograph project. The Tonto carries on this illustrious tradition through its annual PIT project. Most recently, the forest conducted a PIT entitled Camp Reno: Military Outpost in Tonto Basin this past October.

The remote US Army outpost, Camp Reno, was established in 1868 in the Tonto Basin the heart of Apacheria as an extension of Fort McDowell. During its nearly two-year occupation, the outpost served primarily as a depot for supplies and a base of operations for expeditions against the Apache. The camp was officially abandoned by the Army around 1870, but served as a convenient staging area for later military expeditions. By the 1880s, however, the camp existed only in memory.

The purpose of the October 2016 project was to continue previous efforts to locate and record structures and features associated with the historic military outpost, prepare maps, and document artifacts. The aim was to provide a clearer picture of everyday life at the outpost during its use, and to locate and document evidence of the Apache presence at the camp. The 2006 PIT project was the sixth time Archeologist Steve Germick had conducted a project at the site.

Volunteers from around the country were involved, each with their own stories. PIT allows everyday citizens to become involved in historic preservation, and provides a means by which federal programs can accomplish amazing things!