CELEBRATING 122 YEARS OF THE FORT MCDOWELL YAVAPAI NATION
By Harrison J. Bahe
On September 15, 1903, President Theodore Roosevelt signed an executive order that changed the course of history for the Yavapai people. With a single stroke of his pen, Roosevelt proclaimed that any lands not legally owned by the United States would be returned to the Yavapai people inhabiting them. Thus, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation was born. Today, 122 years later, the people of Fort McDowell proudly affirm their identity with a simple but powerful statement: We Are Still Here.
The reservation itself is a small parcel of land, yet it carries the weight of generations. It sits within what was once the vast ancestral territory of the nomadic Yavapai people, who for centuries hunted, gathered, and thrived across the desert lowlands of Arizona and the forested heights of the Mogollon Rim. Despite the hardships of colonization, removal, and displacement, Fort McDowell has endured and continues to stand as a living testament to Yavapai resilience.
Below is the direct text of President Roosevelt’s Executive Order that established the community’s foundation:
“Executive Order
White House, September 15, 1903
It is hereby ordered that so much of the land of the Camp McDowell abandoned military reservation as may not have been legally settled upon nor have valid claims attaching thereto under the provisions of the Act of Congress approved August 23, 1894, (U.S. Statutes at Large, Vol. 28, P. 491), be, and the same is hereby set aside and reserved for the use and occupancy of such Mojave-Apache Indians as are now living thereon or in the vicinity and such other Indians as the Secretary of the Interior may hereafter deem necessary to place thereon.
The lands so withdrawn and reserved will include all tracts to which valid rights have not attached under the provisions of the said Act of Congress and in addition thereto all those tracts upon the reservation containing government improvements which were reserved from settlement by the said Act of Congress, and which consist of (1) the immediate site of the old camp, (2) the post garden, (3) the U.S. Government Farm, (4) the lands lying north of the old camp and embracing or containing the old government irrigation ditch, and (5) the target practice grounds.
Theodore Roosevelt”
Since that order, the people of Fort McDowell have flourished, often serving as trailblazers for Indigenous rights and sovereignty in Arizona and beyond. Their history over the last century has been marked by several defining moments:
The first milestone came in 1948 when Frank Harrison, a World War II veteran, and Harry Austin, both Fort McDowell Yavapai citizens, challenged Arizona’s long-standing disenfranchisement of Native people. The 1928 Arizona Supreme Court decision in Porter v. Hall had denied Native Americans the right to vote, treating them as “wards of the government.” Harrison and Austin refused to accept this injustice. On July 15, 1948, the Arizona Supreme Court overturned the ruling, finally recognizing Native Americans’ right to vote in state elections. This case not only secured rights for the Yavapai people but also set a precedent that empowered Native communities across Arizona.
The second defining event came decades later in the early 1970s, when the federal government proposed constructing the Orme Dam at the confluence of the Verde and Salt Rivers. The dam would have flooded the reservation, displacing the Fort McDowell community from the remnants of its ancestral homeland. Despite limited resources, tribal members organized one of the most successful grassroots movements in modern Native history. Through determination, community solidarity, and support from other tribes and allies, Fort McDowell stood firm. In a 1976 referendum, the community voted 144 to 57 against selling their land for the dam project. After years of advocacy, on November 12, 1981, U.S. Interior Secretary James Watt officially announced that Orme Dam would not be built. This victory made Fort McDowell the only federally recognized tribe to have successfully defeated the U.S. government in a land dispute; a triumph that remains a source of immense pride.
The third defining event came in the 1990s during the rise of Indian gaming. Although the 1988 Indian Gaming Regulatory Act recognized the right of tribes to operate casinos, Arizona’s state government initially resisted signing compacts with tribes. In a dramatic show of force, FBI agents raided five tribal casinos, including Fort McDowell, seizing hundreds of gaming machines. On May 12, 1992, as federal agents hauled away 349 gaming machines from the Fort McDowell Casino, community members sprang into action. They blocked the access road with cars, trucks, and heavy equipment, refusing to allow the government to strip away their livelihood. What followed was a three-week standoff between the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation and the U.S. government. Ultimately, the state backed down, and Arizona was compelled to enter into gaming compacts with the tribes. This bold stand not only preserved the economic sovereignty of Fort McDowell but also set the stage for the growth of Indian gaming throughout Arizona.
For 122 years, the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation has been at the heart of Arizona’s history standing tall, fighting for sovereignty, and preserving the culture of its people. From securing the right to vote, to protecting its land from flooding, to defending its right to self-sufficiency through gaming, Fort McDowell has shown the world what resilience looks like. As the community celebrates this 122nd milestone, its people continue to honor the struggles and victories of the past while looking forward to future generations.
On behalf of The Yavapai News, we wish the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation a very proud and very joyful 122nd birthday!
We Are Still Here.
