Apache Leap: The Legend of Apache Tears

Arizona Department Troops Search for the Apache

In the summer of 1870, General George Stoneman decided to lead a company of soldiers in a quest to find a route to the east of Apache Leap. Apache Leap is a huge escarpment approximately 4700 feet tall and just west of present-day Superior, Arizona.

Stoneman had previously picketed troops on the flat top of the Picket Post Mountain to spy down on the desert trails below, hoping to discern the movements of Apache Indians.

Later, a heliograph was installed on the mountain. A heliograph is a solar telegraph system that signals by flashes of sunlight (using Morse code) reflected by a mirror. The flashes are produced by momentarily pivoting the mirror or by interrupting the beam with a shutter.

At the time, the telegraph did not reach all of eastern Arizona, and the U.S. Army wanted heliographs every 25 miles on peaks to relay information about the Pinal Apache and their movements. Some sources claim that Geronimo was captured in Skeleton Canyon in no small part because of heliographs. There were 23 heliographs in Arizona in the 1880s.

Why the general decided to climb the terrain to find the area where the Apache sometimes congregated is unknown. The military knew that the Apache considered the area sacred. Possibly someone on Picket Post Mountain, 11.8 miles to the west, saw dust from ponies? Perhaps someone with binoculars spied the Apache at that moment? We may never know what motivated the troopers of Company B of the Arizona Militia to follow cattle up a meandering cow path to the top of Apache Leap.

Picket Post Mountain -At the base of this sentinel mountain was Camp Pinal, later named Picket Post.

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A Battle Ensues

After the climb to the top, the militia engaged the Apache. Seventy-five Apache were killed quickly. The remaining Apache, after considering the odds, decided not to continue the fight or to surrender. They decided to end the conflict by running toward the cliff's edge. The Apache warriors chose suicide over surrender.

Recall that Geronimo and his followers escaped San Carlos Indian Reservation in 1872. He was not captured until 1886 in Skeleton Canyon. Called Cañon Bonita by the Mexicans, it is located 30 miles northeast of the town of Douglas, Arizona, in the Peloncillo Mountains, which straddle the modern Arizona and New Mexico state line, in the New Mexico Bootheel region.

The settlers in the Superior, Arizona area were very familiar with Apache raids.

A Mournful Scene

When the tribe's women learned of the sad tale and heard that Apache skeletons had been found at the sandy foot of Apache Leap, they cried buckets of tears. As the story goes, when the tears reached the bottom of the sheer cliff, they turned to black natural glass, or obsidian. This mammoth crying event was said to have guaranteed that the Apache would never cry over such sadness again.

Legend says their sadness was so great that their tears were imbedded into black obsidian stones. When held to the light, they are said to reveal the translucent tear of the Apache.

— Spirit People Intertribal

What Are Apache Tears?

Apache Tears are rounded obsidian volcanic glass marble-like pebbles and stones. These pieces of oval glass are usually embedded in perlite. Perlite is another form of volcanic glass that is grey to white in color. Apache Tears come lodged in this mineral and can be chipped out.

An Expected and Fortunate Discovery

Having lived in Superior, Arizona for 18 years, I have traversed many dirt trails from Apache Leap to Picket Post Mountain and have found Apache tears virtually everywhere in between. Sometimes perlite piles can be seen on the side of these paths and old mining roads. Picking through these piles can yield Apache Tears.

Sometimes these bobby dazzlers can be found embedded in the road.

Recommended

Emily Dickinson's "There is a morn by men unseen"

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And Caves, Too!

There are also caves near Picket Post Mountain that are walled with perlite. These have been worked on by tourists hunting for obsidian. You can get to Apache Tears Mine via Perlite Road trail. Hikers are asked to just observe since the caves are on private property.

Perlite

By the way, crushed perlite is used to make powder for marking playing fields. Perlite is also used in pharmaceuticals and municipal pool water filtration. Polishes, cleaners, and soaps use perlite for its abrasive qualities.

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Jewelry

Black obsidian is stunning inlaid in silver. When I was in middle school, a friend's mother had a squash blossom necklace with beautiful Apache Tears inlaid in each of the silver blossoms. I think American Indian silversmiths make some of the most radiant obsidian jewelry.

In some circles, obsidian is thought to be a birthstone connected to the Sun sign of Sagittarius (Nov 22 to Dec 21).

Typical black obsidian

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Spiritual Meanings

Ostensibly, obsidian has healing properties. Reputed psychological powers include:

1. The ability to deplete mental stress and tension.
2. Apache Tears are said to be protective acting as a truth-enhancing stone.
3. The obsidian stones are reported to enhance exploration of the uncharted, and they are purported to stimulate new endeavors.
4. Mental clarity is believed to ensue while in the presence of obsidian. Along with this is a decreasing of confusion.
5. There may be a connection between Apache Tear history and the value of obsidian in making one's emotional state stronger and clearer. Held to a light, obsidian is transparent. It turns from black to clear grey or root beer in clarity, resembling a tear.
6. Emotional issues and old traumas can be cleared by Apache Tears.
7. Strength of compassion is a quality promoted by black obsidian.

Medicinal Properties

Arthritis, joint pain, and cramps are medicinal properties seemingly cured. Holding obsidian purportedly warms the extremities. Black obsidian (Apache Tears) are also described as helping with digestion as well as detoxifying the body.

Epilogue

And now, there is a new clash of cultures that has begun in a flat area just east of Apache Leap. Resolution Copper Company has worked since about 2008 to develop a new copper body with huge potential. But the back and forth of Agriculture Department Decisions and Congress has made the project an off and on
proposition for at least 15 years.

It is claimed that over 60 years (the time the proposed mine will be active), it could bring in $61 billion. Annual earnings to the state of Arizona, Pinal County, and Superior, Arizona, may well be up to $113 million dollars. This new site has the potential to produce 25% of our nation's demand for copper.

Yet, the tribal government of the San Carlos Indian Reservation believes Oak Flat to be a blessed place and that it should not be developed for mining. It is accepted that prayers from Oak Flat go to the creator directly. In this area, sunrise ceremonies are held to celebrate the coming of age of young Apache women. Oak Flat is currently a campground, but the area has the same relevance to the Apache as a church.

Let us hope that this present-day battle between the copper company, the government, and the San Carlos Apache Tribe can be resolved in an equitable agreement to all parties. The local mining history has been one of conflict since circa 1870.

Sources

rockseeker (n.d.) Where to Find Apache Tears. RockSeeker.com. https://rockseeker.com/apache-tears/

Lucas, Caroline (December 15, 2018 - Last updated: September 7, 2021). Apache Tears: Meaning, Properties and Powers. https://meanings.crystalsandjewelry.com/apache-tear/

Jones, Arizona (January 13, 2021). The Apache Leap And Apache Tears. https://theazjones.com/the-apache-leap-and-apache-tears/

SPIRIT PEOPLE INTERTRIBAL (AUGUST 4, 2007).The Legend of Apache Leap and the Apache Tears. https://spiritpeople.blogspot.com/2007/08/legend-of-apache-leap-and-apache-tears.html

Wikipedia contributors. (2022, August 9). Apache tears. In Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Retrieved 01:30, May 1, 2023, from https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title-apache tears&oldid1=103474770

Contributor (June 14, 2019). Discover Arizona. The Heliograph in the Apache Wars. The Heliograph in the Apache Wars - Discover Southeast Arizona (discoverseaz.com)

Knappenberger, Ryan (February 12, 2021). Federal judge rejects Apache Stronghold request to Block Oak Flat mine. Attorneys say Resolution Copper Mine would "destroy" worship at Oak Flat - Cronkite News - Arizona PBS

This content is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge and is not meant to substitute for formal and individualized advice from a qualified professional.

© 2023 John R Wilsdon