How much do you really know about Arizona? Leave it to Marshall Trimble – Arizona’s history guru – to compile these quirky facts about funky place names…
Celebrating the Centennial: 10 People that Shaped Arizona
February 10, 2012 By 1 Comment
Arizona’s history was shaped by an eclectic group of people from very different backgrounds. Learn how some of our communities originated and who left their footprint on today’s culture.
Arizona Oddities’ Favorite 11 Posts from 2011
December 26, 2011 By Leave a Comment
We offer a wide range of content on Arizona Oddities catering to an eclectic group of fans from around the state. From history and recreation to artistic endeavors and those weird things you see along the highway, we’ve got it covered.
Here, we’re showcasing some of our favorite 11 posts from 2011.
Mogollon Monikers: Origins of Place Names in Arizona’s Rim Country
August 21, 2011 By 1 Comment
Ever since man first set foot in this rugged piece of terrain known as Arizona, he has felt compelled to brand everything with a name. Inspiration for these place names came from a variety of sources—some quite obvious.
Lousy Gulch got its name after all the residents got lice. When Mormon pioneers decided to settle near a large stand of Ponderosa pines, they simply named their community Pine. Another group settled in a small valley where they found wild strawberries growing in abundance and decided to name their town Strawberry. Henry Clifton, a member of an early Indian-fighting militia, claimed that in 1864 the place was known as Wah-poo-eta for a prominent Tonto Apache chief better known to whites as Big Rump. The most obvious place name in Mogollon Rim country was bestowed when a group of settlers pulled into a little green valley and promptly named it Little Green Valley.
How the Phoenix Area Nabbed the “Valley of the Sun” Nickname
June 30, 2011 By 2 Comments
Q: Everybody refers to this area as the Valley. What exactly is the Valley the valley of?
A: This is a deeply troubling question because it actually required some work to nail down the answer.
The easy part first: This is the Valley of the Sun.
Of course it isn’t really the Valley of the Sun. The ancient Hohokam Indians did not say to their relatives, “Hey, you should come down to the Valley of the Sun for the winter.”
Valley of the Sun was a name cooked up in the 1930s to boost tourism. As these sorts of things go, it’s not bad — short, snappy, descriptive.
