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Odd ObservationsSouthern Arizona
Home›Odd Observations›Doubled Up Names in Southern Arizona

Doubled Up Names in Southern Arizona

By Sam Lowe
February 17, 2015
1678
3
Picacho Peak at sunrise. Photo taken by Christopher Morrison.

Picacho Peak at sunrise. Photo taken by Christopher Morrison.

When translated from Spanish to English and back, two Arizona entities are duplicationally challenged.

Picacho Peak, located in southern Pinal County, is one of them because “picacho” is a Spanish word for “peak” or “point.” So technically, the name of the place is “Peak Peak” or “Picacho Picacho,” depending on which translation is used. Regardless, Picacho Peak was the site of the only Civil War battle fought in Arizona. On April 15, 1862, a troop of 16 Confederate cavalrymen was overtaken by a dozen Union soldiers. In the ensuing gun battle, three Union soldiers and two Confederates were killed.

In Pima County, if there has been enough rainfall, water runs in Rillito Creek. Since “rillito” is Spanish for “little river,” the name then becomes “little river creek.” There was a time when the creek (or rillito) was always filled with enough water to sustain Fort Lowell, an Army installation, on its banks. Both the fort and most of the water are gone.

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Related Posts:

  1. Abraham Lincoln’s Bodyguard and Other Civil War Soldiers Buried in Southern Arizona
  2. Arizona Place Names: A Slew of Cities and Counties with Spanish, Indian and Random Origins
  3. Picacho Peak is Destination for Avid Hikers, Civil War Buffs
  4. Mogollon Monikers: Origins of Place Names in Arizona’s Rim Country
  5. Arizona Place Names (Pt. 2): Origins from Prominent People, Patriotism in Old Arizona
Tagsmountainspicacho peakplace names

3 comments

  1. MartiC 18 February, 2015 at 10:52 Reply

    Don’t forget about Table Mesa Rd. off of I-17…table table road

  2. Sandra Bunker 19 February, 2015 at 10:37 Reply

    Also, Pinnacle Peak is kind of redundant though it’s not a translation issue.

  3. Drachir Roop 10 May, 2017 at 16:11 Reply

    There’s also Sky Harbor Airport in Phoenix. Think about it.

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