Tag: early arizona
Why are Phoenix and Tucson so Different?
Q: My grandpa and grandma live in Tucson, and when we visit them, I always wonder why are Phoenix and Tucson so different? A: This is an excellent question. The answer would fill a volume or two, but the short explanation is: History, dear child, it’s all about history. In the great scheme of things, ...The Story of Sarah Bowman: Yuma’s First Citizen Left a Lasting Impression
One of the most colorful ladies who ever rode the old West was Sarah Bowman of Yuma. She didn't fit the common frontier stereotype woman—calico dress, sunbonnet and a youngster hanging on each arm with another tugging at her skirt. In fact, there wasn't anything common about Sarah. They called her the Great Western, after ...Origin of Old Arizona’s Railways
The Southern Pacific railroad stretched its steel ribbons across Arizona in the late 1870s, reaching Tucson in March, 1880. The rail station nearest Phoenix was 35 miles to the south at Maricopa. From the beginning, local citizens began clamoring for a railroad. Despite the fact that thousands of miles of track were being laid across ...Legend of the Bill Smith Gang
Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid are believed to be the only outlaws who actually saw themselves portrayed in a motion picture. It happened when they stopped off in New York City on their way to South America. They also had the dubious distinction of seeing themselves gunned down by a posse. It must have ...Arizona’s First Christmas in the Pines
The first recorded Christmas in Arizona, north of the Gila River, took place in 1853 at the foot of the snowy San Francisco Peaks. And it was a wild and woolly affair. The celebrants were the Army Corps of Topographical Engineers, their military escorts and helpers who were, at the time, mapping a future transcontinental ...Diamond Fields in Arizona?
Q: I have an 1891 map that shows an area in northeastern Arizona as “Diamond Fields.” Have diamonds been found in this area, and if so, are diamonds mined there now? A: This turned out to be pretty interesting. There is indeed a wide spot on the road near the junction of U.S. 160 and Arizona ...Early Political Shenanigans: How Phoenix Became the Capital of Arizona
Territorial citizens took great delight applying social acupuncture to local politicos. It's been said with dubious pride that Arizona had some of the finest legislators money could buy. Old timers around Jerome used to say that every time the subject of a bullion tax would come up before the legislature Henry Allen, superintendent of the ...The Escape of Desperado Augustine Chacon
Augustine Chacon was one of the last of the hard-ridding desperados who rode the owl-hoot trail in Arizona around the turn of the century. Chacon was a resident of Sonora but did most of his mischief in Arizona, leading his gang on far flung forays of pillage and plunder. One time Chacon and his pistoleros ...Does Tumacacori Hold Buried Treasure?
According to those who search for buried treasure in Arizona, there's a fortune hidden beneath the floors of Tumacacori, the old mission near Tubac. The legends say that the church was once not only a place of worship, but also a mill and smelter for a gold and silver mining operation run by Jesuit missionaries ...A Little History Behind Arizona’s Early Mormon Missions
The first Mormon colonists from Utah arrived in Arizona in early 1854. The Navajos were on the warpath at the time and the Saints were driven out a year later. Between 1858 and the early 1870s Jacob Hamblin, the Mormon's greatest trailblazer, made several reconnaissance missions, locating river crossings, water holes and suitable trails. By ...
