The Fort Huachuca Formerly Used Defense Site or FUDS consists of 3,220 acres in Cochise County, Arizona. The active Fort Huachuca East Artillery Range is located immediately west of the Fort Huachuca FUDS, and the San Pedro River borders the site to the east.
Camp Huachuca was founded in 1877, when the first U.S. Cavalry soldiers arrived at the foothills of the Huachuca Mountains. In 1882, Camp Huachuca’s name changed to Fort Huachuca to reflect the importance of the post.
During World War II Fort Huachuca expanded one of its training areas by leasing 3,219.92 acres of land from the Boquillas Land and Cattle Company. The leased land extended the East Artillery Range to the San Pedro River and was used for artillery and infantry training activities. The Army terminated the lease with the Boquillas Land and Cattle Company in July 1946.
In 1947, Detachment No. 14 of the 9800th Technical Support Unit conducted munitions removal operations at Fort Huachuca, which included a search of the “Boquillas Area of Cochise County.” Numerous munitions, such as projectiles and hand grenades, were disposed of as a result of the search. However, historical records did not indicate the location of the munitions items or the boundaries for the search area.
The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers began investigating the former Fort Huachuca in 1999 through the FUDS Program for munitions that may remain from former military activities. Subsequent investigations have identified that munitions and explosives of concern and munitions debris still exist on the land. Based on the investigations findings, the Fort Huachuca FUDS has been divided into two projects for further evaluation for munitions hazards. This website provides additional information about both projects: the Charleston Maneuver Area and the Artillery, Mortar Ranges & Maneuver Area.