Patriotism was the motivating factor in the naming of one of northern Arizona’s most prominent cities. A party of immigrants bound for California camped at the foot of the San Francisco Mountains on July 4, 1876. To honor the nation’s centennial, they raised the colors. To celebrate the occasion they called the site Flagstaff.
A group of miners in Santa Cruz County wanted to call their new town “American Flag,” but the idea was nixed
The thing most people notice right away when they enter the Quartzsite Cemetery is a stone pyramid topped by a copper camel, and there’s quite a story behind its presence. The cairn marks the grave site of a man they called Hi Jolly, who came to this country in the 1860s to act as a camel driver for the U.S. Army during an ill-fated attempt to use the animals as beasts of burden for military purposes in the deserts of the Southwest.
The town square in Superior isn’t very big. In fact, it’s not even a square; it’s a triangle. A small triangle. So small that if it weren’t for the statue, there’s a good chance nobody would ever notice it. But the statue’s there and it gives the square triangle purpose.
Up around Chloride, the painted rocks are known simply as “the Mural.” Roy Purcell, the artist, called the work “The Journey” and says it was the result of a deep personal introspection. Either way, the decorated boulders have withstood the elements, bureaucracy and the multitude of tourists who travel a crooked mile to view them, photograph them, comment on them and attempt to decipher their hidden meaning.
It’s not much to look at, just a hole blasted into a huge rock, but Clifton’s first jail is worth taking a look at because of a couple of notable details in its history. One deals with its construction; the other with its first occupant.
