As America celebrates its 250th anniversary, Arizona war reenactors descend on an abandoned mining town to relive the days of the Civil War and the lesser-known Indian Wars. KJZZ’s Jill Ryan and Gabriel Pietrorazio travel to Vulture City on the outskirts of Wickenburg to capture both conflicts in action.
-
Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZIn the first of a two-part series, reenactors recently descended on an abandoned Arizona mining town to relive the days of the Civil War and the lesser-known Indian Wars. -
Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZWhat’s unique about Massai Leon and his family is that they're not only reenactors, but this to them is all about reliving their literal history. Their ancestor, Charles Martine, enlisted in the U.S. Army as an Indian Scout.
1 of
— reenactors-civil-war-line-20260217.jpg
Reenactors line up during a mock Civil War skirmish in Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
2 of
— reenactors-civil-war-road-20260217.jpg
Vulture City, an Arizona ghost town on the outskirts of Wickenburg.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
3 of
— reenactors-civil-war-20260217.jpg
Civil War reenactors at Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
4 of
— (Jill) Andrew Kuhl, Confederate solider reenactor .jpg
Andrew Kuhl displays the version of the Confederate flag used in a Civil War reenactment in Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
5 of
— gilbert-alonzo-reenactor-20260217.jpg
Gilbert Alonzo, a Phoenix resident, portrays a Union soldier in Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
6 of
— devon-ross-reenactor-20260217.jpg
Devon Ross, reenactor and captain of the Helm’s Arizona Guard, in Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
7 of
— dave-williamson-reenactor-20260217.jpg
Dave Williamson, president of the nonprofit Arizona Civil War Council, in Vulture City.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
8 of
— vulture-city-20260217.jpg
A sign for Vulture City, west of Phoenix.
Jill Ryan / KJZZ
9 of
— vulture-city-confederate-surrender-gp-20260131.PNG
A Confederate soldier surrenders to a Union officer during a war reenactment on the outskirts of Wickenburg in Vulture City on Jan. 31, 2026.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
10 of
— vulture-city-civil-war-union-troops-gp-20260131.PNG
Union soldier reenactors with the nonprofit Arizona Civil War Council loot dead Confederate troops in the ghost town of Vulture City on Jan. 31, 2026.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
11 of
— az-civil-war-council-banner-gp-20260131.jpg
A fabric banner for the nonprofit Arizona Civil War Council.
Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZ
12 of
— apaches-win-reenactment-gp-20260131.jpg
Apache resistance fighters celebrate winning their reenacted skirmish in Vulture City.
Gabriel Pietrorazio/KJZZ
13 of
— martin-leon-apache-indian-war-gp-20260131.jpg
Martín Leon plays dead during their Indian Wars reenactment.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
14 of
— az-civil-war-council-reenactors-line-gp-20260131.jpg
Reenactors line up to share tidbits of history from the Indian Wars with a crowd.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
15 of
— us-cavalry-troops-gp-20260131.jpg
Cavalry troop reenactors fend off Apaches and ex-Confederates in Vulture City.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
16 of
— apache-reenactor-resistance-gp-20260131.jpg
Indigenous resistance war reenactors Martín Leon (left), Massai Leon, Edmund “Guido” Arguello and Tyrus Johnson at camp.
Gabriel Pietrorazio / KJZZ
More Arizona history stories
-
Battles were fought across the country during the U.S. Civil War more than 150 years ago. A few of those battles were fought right here in Arizona. -
New research shows the ancient site is much older than previously thought. In fact, it’s now confirmed to be the oldest known scientifically dated geoglyph in the Americas, 2,000 years older than the first Pyramids built in Egypt. -
Silas John Edwards was a towering figure among the Apache people in Arizona about a century ago — until he was accused of murdering his wife and put behind bars -
On Wednesday, the U.S. Senate unanimously passed a measure out of its upper chamber that would transform the Chiricahua National Monument into the Grand Canyon State’s newest national park. -
Arizona’s history is well documented through its newspapers, and ASU English professor Vanessa Fonseca-Chavez dove deep into the long Spanish-language newspaper history here. -
Red light districts operated years after they were outlawed in Tucson. An Arizona historian explored in his recent book what these areas looked like and how women who worked there were treated. -
Meet the two Arizonans who worked to preserve a small piece of history in Phoenix's Sunnyslope neighborhood. -
Most of us have heard of aviators like Charles Lindbergh and Amelia Earhart. But most of us have probably not heard of another pilot of that era, named Lester Maitland. -
The Las Playas Intaglio is a Tohono O’odham sacred site that features a huge fish-shaped earth carving right along the border in what is today the Cabeza Prieta National Wildlife Refuge.
-
As demand grows, tech companies are looking toward tribal lands to expand on construction of data centers. But, tribes are moving to stop them.
