Apache Springs was established as a layover staff camp in 1965 in response to the flood that damaged many of Fish Camp's buildings. Crews worked with conservation staff to restore and rebuild Fish Camp's buildings during their layovers. The camp's original program included survival skills, astronomy, and Fish Camp's displaced program of fly tying and fishing. Apache Springs has the backcountry's only archery course. The camp went through many different programs before coming into its current Jicarilla Apache ethnology program in 1972. In 2002, Apache became a small commissary and operated out of a connex box until 2021. A full commissary and trading post was built for the 2020 summer, after Apache became a busier commissary than Phillips Junction in 2019. |