Neil and Emma Erickson

Two Swedish immigrants met on the Arizona frontier and stayed. Neil Erickson came to America from Sweden and served with the 4th Cavalry through the Apache campaigns; Emma Peterson, also Swedish, was working as a maid when they met, and the two married in 1887 after reuniting at Fort Bowie. They homesteaded Bonita Canyon, where Emma kept the garden and stock while Neil took construction work and, in 1903, became a forest ranger. Their daughter Lillian would run the family's Faraway Ranch. The Ericksons were the immigrant roots of a family that shaped this canyon for a century.

What the plaque says

Neil and Emma Erickson. The military campaigns against the Apaches brought them together. Young Neil Erickson came to America from Sweden. He joined the army and was promoted to 1st Sergeant in the 4th Cavalry at Fort Craig, New Mexico. While stationed there he met another Swedish immigrant, Emma Peterson, and fell in love. Army life separated them for a few years, but they were reunited at Fort Bowie in 1886, and married the following year. After Neil's discharge, the Ericksons came to Bonita Canyon to live. Neil had little interest in farming or ranching, and was often away doing construction work in mining communities. Emma stayed home with the children, tending the garden and the livestock. Neil became a forest ranger in 1903, and his career took him to many parts of the Arizona Territory. The management of Faraway Ranch fell to the oldest of his three children, Lillian.

Where it stands

Worth the stop nearby

• Chiricahua National Monument — 1.5 mi
  The Land of Standing-Up Rocks — Cochise and Geronimo's stronghold

More markers nearby

• Ed Riggs — steps away
• Faraway Ranch — steps away
• The Chiricahua Apache — 0.9 mi