Tag: history
Arizona History Trivia: Can You Pass?
Test your knowledge of Arizona history with this short quiz, originally published in Marshall Trimble’s Official Arizona Trivia. Don’t scroll down too quickly. The answers are posted shortly below the questions. When you’re finished, leave a comment with your score. 1. Before Arizona became a territory in 1863, it was part of which ...Mining the Past at Castle Dome City
There was a time when Castle Dome City was bigger than Yuma, but those days are long gone. So is most of Castle Dome City. Fortunately, Allen Armstrong and his wife, Stephanie, are collectors, and what they collect is history in the form of old buildings. As a result, Castle Dome City lives on. In a ...Lieutenant Amiel Whipple’s Good Deed Saved 47 Lives
On a hot afternoon in 1849 not far from the Yuma River Crossing, a small party of Army Topographical Engineers came upon a young Indian girl wandering in the desert. She was nearly dead from exposure, hunger and thirst. Many would have left the youngster to her fate. It was a tough, unforgiving land where ...Why Does New Mexico Have a Stronger Hispanic Heritage Than Arizona?
Today’s question: If Arizona and New Mexico were both settled by the Spanish, why does New Mexico seem to have a much stronger Hispanic heritage than we do? That’s a good one. For help on this I turned to good old Marshall Trimble, author, singer, teacher, Arizona state historian and all-around swell guy. The answer in a ...Life in Old Boom Towns with Jackass Prospectors
The gold and silver rushes, more than anything else, provided the inspiration for people to give up relative comforts in the East and come west. Opportunity to get rich quick is a uniquely American article of faith and was virtually born in the West. With a single lucky break, one could instantly make more money ...A Brief But Fascinating History Of The Hohokam: The Valley’s First Residents
Most scientists believe the Hohokam arrived in Arizona from Mexico around 300 B.C. Apparently, they arrived with a strong culture intact and had an immediate influence on the area and the people already living here. In time their influence would be felt as far west as the Colorado River, to the east, New Mexico and ...Original Bethany Home Was Early 1900s Tuberculosis Sanitarium
Q: I admit that I’m not new to the Valley, but I have a burning question which in all my 36 years, I cannot answer. How did Bethany Home Road get its name? Is there such a place as “Bethany Home’’? I can understand how Camelback, Washington, Central, Indian School and just about all the ...Lost Pick Mine of Old Arizona: Hidden Gold Remains Hidden
Ol' Ma Nature's rough hands couldn't have created a better place on this earth to hide a treasure than right here in Arizona. It's also a good place to lose one and we've got more lost mines here in the heart of Arizona than politicians got plans. Most of these mines have a history of being ...The Stories Behind Scottsdale’s McCormick Ranch, Gainey Ranch
Q: There are so many places around the Valley with “ranch” in the name. How many were ever really ranches? A: Lots of them. Lots and lots. Despite all the sprawl, you have to bear in mind that the Valley metro area started as a farming community, and until fairly recently, Maricopa County was primarily an ...Courthouse Diversity in Tucson
The Pima County Courthouse has been a Tucson landmark for eight decades, but it took a long time for the community to accept it because of a lingering controversy over the colors and style. But over the years, the Spanish Colonial Revival structure has become became a city icon. The building, designed by Roy W. Place ...
