The Apache people relocated to San Carlos found themselves in a place where nothing about the environment supported the life they knew: different plants, different animals, different water, a different climate, and a different relationship to the land.

The administrative management of San Carlos was characterized by a combination of corruption and incompetence that made conditions worse than they needed to be.

The promised rations were often of inadequate quality or quantity.

The agency officials who were supposed to manage the reservation for the benefit of its residents were frequently more interested in the opportunities for personal enrichment that the reservation system provided.

The specific abuses documented at San Carlos during the relevant period were extensive and well-attested.