Bowie or Teviston Arizona - Bowie Eating House

November 2024

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Rare issue for the Ft. Bowie area in territorial Arizona. Ft. Bowie was established around 1876 to protect local settlers from Chiricahua Apache Indian raids. However, following the surrender of Geronimo the fort at Apache Pass was no longer needed because the American Indian Wars were now over. Residents of the fort area who remained after the closing established a small town closer to Wilcox and the Butterfield stage line. The Bowie Eating House is listed in Birts "Arizona Tokens" as operating around 1902. They issued tokens in 20, 15, 10, and 5 cent denominations. This four lobed scalloped 15 cent token is listed as R8 (Very Scarce with 7 - 12 known). There are only a total of 5 issuers for Bowie, none earlier than the Eating House, which mainly served the rail line and stage coaches of the route between El Paso and Tucson.
The original name for Bowie was Teviston, for James Tevis, an early Arizona adventurer who donated the land for a town-site and a railroad right-of-way. However, a railroad official named Bean suggested the town be named for him. “Shucks,” Tevis retorted, “these folks eat beans three times a day and they’ve had all they can stand.” Mr. Bean failed to see the humor and retaliated by insisting the railroad call the place Bowie Station for nearby Fort Bowie. Later it was shortened to just plain Bowie. [Andrea Aker - ArizonaOddities.com)