The Devil's Creek Project brings together three researchers with a shared goal: locating the site of the May 22, 1885 Battle of Devil's Creek. Drawing on first-person accounts, historical maps, and modern geospatial analysis, the project examines terrain, travel routes, distances, and battlefield descriptions to identify where the engagement most likely occurred. By combining traditional historical research with GIS-based methods, the project seeks to better understand both the battle and the landscape in which it was fought.
The battle occurred in today's Glenwood Ranger District of the Gila National Forest.
The battle occurred in today's Glenwood Ranger District of the Gila National Forest.
We recently obtained imagery from across the valley (to the right in the image above) showing the battle site. This imagery is overlaid on the GIS-developed 3D hillshade below. Use the Photo Opacity slider in the widget to reveal the underlying hillshade.
The alignment between the two is not perfect, but it is a good start. The view shown here does not cover the entire battle site, only the top of the eastern canyon wall, where the cliffs mentioned by several of the battle’s participants are visible.
The alignment between the two is not perfect, but it is a good start. The view shown here does not cover the entire battle site, only the top of the eastern canyon wall, where the cliffs mentioned by several of the battle’s participants are visible.
Drag to align (top image)
Tip: The display box height is locked to the base image ratio to prevent layout growth. Enable drag to nudge the top image for parallax. Image and hillshade Copyright 2025 Robert E. C. Davis
|
|
The panorama and single image were taken from the top of the cliffs on the eastern wall of the canyon by a team member on June 17, 2026. The forward edge of the cliffs are vertical and more or less continuous. The single image shows the view from the cliffs to the bottom of the canyon wall. This is extremely rugged terrain. Photos © 2026 David M. Johnson.