The Camp Naco Project

The mission of the Naco Heritage Alliance is to reveal the hidden stories of human experience in the Borderlands by engaging communities, preserving the past, and educating the world
as stewards of Camp Naco.

About the Project:

The Camp Naco Project began in January 2023 under the auspices of the City of Bisbee and guided by the Naco Heritage Alliance.

This project embodies a number of activities whose impact will span across all three of the above pillars and be incorporated in the architectural and community programming for Camp Naco:
  • Exhibits
  • Tours
  • Educational Programs
  • Living History
  • Events
  • Outdoor Activities
  • Wellness
  • Research
  • Workshops & Studios
  • Library
  • Housing
  • Community Gathering
Organizational chart of NACO Heritage Alliance. Includes the Board of Directors, Executive Director, Advisory Committees, and Camp NACO staff.

Project Outcomes:

Rehabilitation of the Camp Naco site:
Protect, preserve, and rehabilitate Camp Naco’s historic 22 adobe buildings and 15.93-acre site to house multiple uses.

Community Programming:
Develop place-based programming that celebrates the diverse historical narratives of Camp Naco as a foundation for historical and contemporary cultural production (scholarship, story-telling, visual & performing arts, cuisine, etc.) and sustainable community development (workforce training, youth camps, recreation, wellness, housing, etc.).

Organizational Sustainability:
Build organizational and financial capacity to successfully sustain community programming, physical infrastructure, and grow the mission into the future.

To implement these goals, we’ve developed a strategic planning framework defined by key areas critical to the success of Camp Naco, including economic development, education & interpretation, and fund-raising. For each of these areas, we’ve begun convening key stakeholders to advise the development of a strategic planning roadmap to guide and inform the Naco Heritage Alliance Board of Directors as the Camp Naco project advances toward achieving its vision.

For more information about the Camp Naco vision, strategic plan, and how you can become involved, contact us at info@campnacoaz.org.

Camp Naco Project FAQ's, white text on a dark red background.

When is our estimated opening date?
Our anticipated opening date is December, 2026

How many (local) people will be employed?
Our initial estimate is we will open Camp Naco with three full time employees with a variety of contracted work with other part-time employees hired as other grant-funded programming is initiated.

How will the project support the Naco community?
Camp Naco will become a destination for tourism and bring people to Naco, providing a positive impact for the town’s economy. The following services will be provided at no charge to the public; outdoor recreational facilities, community gathering and meeting spaces, library facilities including computer lab usage, day parking and rideshare.

During what hours will Camp Naco be open?
Hours of operation will be 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM. The public space on the north end of the campus will be open Monday through Sunday from sun-up to sun-down. Special event will not begin earlier than 8:00 AM Monday through Sunday nor extend later than 8:00 PM Sunday through Thursday or 10:00 PM Friday through Saturday.

What steps are being taken to secure Camp Naco?
We are working with the City of Bisbee, Naco officials, and the US Border Patrol to develop protocols to ensure the site is secured. Additional lighting will also be installed and activated by motion sensors to further safeguard the property.

Will the residents be impacted by noise from Camp Naco?
The impact will be minimal. Events will only take place during designated hours to minimize noise.

How will fire safety be addressed?
We are working closely with Naco Fire District and Cochise County Building Official to implement appropriate and required fire prevention and protection measures. Further, the project will adopt recommended best practices for maintaining defensible space around buildings and mitigating fire risk.

How will Camp Naco impact traffic and parking?
The main parking area will be located south of Newell St, with a parking capacity of 121 spaces. Two additional lots will serve the community area and ADA accessible parking needs. Outside of special events, we estimate 30 passenger vehicles entering and leaving the site per day. Speed control measures (additional signage and speed tables) will be installed on the two roads bordering the site.

How can I volunteer?
We are recruiting volunteers to assist with community events in Naco, staff our outside events, and organize community efforts like creating backpacks for school kids, staffing food drives, and fundraising for locals in need. Visit CampNacoAZ.org for more information on volunteering.

Camp Naco Newsletters - 2023

Camp Naco Newsletters - 2024

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Camp Naco Newsletters - 2025

FEBRUARY   MARCH       MID-MARCH    APRIL    MAY    JUNE    JULY    AUGUST

SEPTEMBER    .    OCTOBER ... . NOVEMBER .... DECEMBER

The Camp Naco Team

Man with glasses and beard smiles, purple background.
Woman with long curly hair smiles outdoors, backlit by the sun. Mountains and desert vegetation in the background.
Woman smiles, holding champagne glass, with Uluru in background. Overcast sky.
Man with beard and sunglasses smiling in front of a blue sea. He wears a maroon shirt.
Woman with glasses, red lipstick, and dark curly hair; a close-up shot indoors, looking at the camera.

Free Online Event: Early 20th Century African Americans in Mexico

By Jeremy Fricke • January 22, 2026
Thursday, February 12, 5-6:00 PM MST Online and Free to Attend Register at this link. During the era of the Mexican Revolution, many African Americans traveled and lived in Mexico. Join Naco Heritage Alliance with special guest Dr. Laura Hooton as she provides a glimpse into the experiences of some of these men and women, including activists, businessmen, soldiers, writers, athletes, and travelers. About The Speaker Dr. Laura Hooton is an Assistant Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in the History Department at New Mexico State University. She teaches and writes about African American history, borderlands history, migration and immigration, and social movements and civil rights. She is the co-author of Almost All Aliens: Immigration, Race, and Colonialism in American History and Identity , Second Edition. Her next book, Little Liberia: A Dream of Black Freedom in the US-Mexico Borderlands , will be published this year.

Fridays in January - Borderlands History Educational Series

By Jeremy Fricke • January 6, 2026
January 16, 23, & 30, 2-3:30 PM Copper Queen Library - 6 Main Street, Bisbee Free to attend In partnership with Copper Queen Library, Naco Heritage Alliance is excited to present this free, three-part educational series on the history of the Borderlands with Becky Orozco, Professor Emerita of Anthropology, Cochise College. Attend all three events, or one or two that suit your interests. January 16 - The Archaeology of Cochise County For more than 10,000 years people have called this region home. Learn about the prehistoric residents of our region from the earliest residents who hunted now extinct mammoths through the first indigenous peoples who encountered explorers from Spain and the United States. January 23 - La Frontera: A History of Our Border Region Cochise County has always been a borderlands. From prehistoric times the mountains and valleys of the sky islands have been corridors for explorations and conquest. The first Spanish explorers traveled these pathways in the 16th Century. Mexico's battles for independence and then in revolution often focused on this northern frontier. The westward push for gold and Manifest Destiny established the current line. Learn how these stories still resonate and shape today's borderline. January 30 - A History of Conflict: Camp Naco, the Bisbee Deportation and World War I Our small section of the US-Mexico border has been the focus of major military and civil conflicts in the early 20th Century. Learn how the stories of these people and events intertwined in this small region of Cochise County and how work continues int he present to preserve this history.

December 19th - Adobe & Gingerbread

By Jeremy Fricke • December 1, 2025
Friday, December 19th, 4:00 - 7:00PM Boys & Girls Club of Bisbee - 405 Arizona Street, Bisbee, AZ Free to attend with registration, $35 Custom Gingerbread Barracks Kit available while supplies last. Register to attend and/or reserve your gingerbread kit at https://givebutter.com/adobe-gingerbread. Join us for Adobe & Gingerbread, a family-friendly evening that blends tradition, creativity, and a little bit of borderlands flavor. Enjoy a special presentation on traditional adobe building by Zach Palma of Sky Island Alliance, tasty food from Goar Park Lunches, and plenty of hands-on holiday fun. Custom Camp Naco–inspired gingerbread barracks kits will be available for purchase, and the event is free with reservation. Come learn something new, build something sweet, and kick off the holidays with our community!

Dec 5th - Chulas Fronteras Screening at Central School Project

By Jeremy Fricke • November 20, 2025
Friday, December 5th, 7:00 PM Central School Project Theater - 43 Howell Ave, Bisbee, AZ Free to attend, refreshments by donation. Central School Project and Naco Heritage Alliance have partnered up to deliver this special movie night in the Central School Project theater! Harrod Blank, Les Blank's son, also a filmmaker and truly a maker of magic and wonder in Douglas with his Art Car world, will be present and will lead a Q&A following the screening of this timeless beautiful movie that speaks to immigration, and celebrates food, music, resilience, and love of life. Doors open at 6:30 PM.

Nov. 11 - The Warrior Tradition

By Mark Costa • October 24, 2025
Veterans Day, Tuesday November 11, 2pm Rothery Education Center – 3305 E. Fry Blvd, Sierra Vista Food provided by Tee Pee Fry Bread of Huachuca City Free to attend, registration required and space is limited Register here: https://givebutter.com/WarriorTradition Join the Naco Heritage Alliance for a Veterans Day movie night. This one-hour, national documentary tells the astonishing, heartbreaking, inspiring, and largely-untold story of Native Americans in the United States military. Come learn more about Native Americans and their stories related to the military and the United States. Our sincere thanks to Legacy Foundation of Southeast Arizona ( www.lfsaz.org ) for making this event possible. Food will also be provided at the event by Tee Pee Fry Bread, offering plenty of options, from sweet to savory. "The Warrior Tradition describes the complex Native American situation in our society. Why would Indian men and women put their lives on the line for the very government that took their homelands? The film relates the stories of Native American warriors from their own points of view – stories of service and pain, of courage and fear." - PBS.org For additional information or to register by phone, contact Program Associate Cesilia Garcia at (520) 910–1169
Event announcement:

Oct. 25 & Nov. 8 - A Taste of African American History

By Mark Costa • September 29, 2025
Our fellow Beverely Elliot with the African American Museum of Southern Arizona (AAMSAZ) is hosting 'A Taste of African American History' with three food trucks in Tucson on October 25 and Bisbee on November 8 . The African American Museum of Southern Arizona with a $20,000 fellowship from the Naco Heritage Alliance, is proud to present this event designed to share with you, the community, the cultural context of food in African American celebrations. Let them take you on a delicious adventure as three separate food trucks will prepare grab and go soul food delicacies that are historical and traditional to the culture including authentic Buffalo Soldier fare and foods central to Juneteenth celebrations, Freedom Day fare of New Year’s Day delights! Click the links below to register for this free event. Space is limited, so sign up today! October 25 Tucson event Willie Blake Community Park, 3525 South Naco Vista, Tucson, AZ 85713 Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../a-taste-of-african... November 8 Bisbee event Historic Warren Ballpark, 99 Arizona St., Bisbee AZ 85603 Tickets: https://www.eventbrite.com/.../a-taste-of-african...
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