Tag: place names
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 ...Arizona Trivia Sampler: Can You Pass?
Test your knowledge of Arizona with this quick sampler, 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.Arizona Place Names (Pt. 3): Surprising Towns Named After People
Long ago, Arizona settlers felt inspired to attach names to the special places they found. Sometimes they achieved palpable immortality by naming it after themselves; and sometimes it backfired. Like the time Henry Mortimer Coane was running a small store in the Verde Valley. Folks wanted to use the place as a post office, so Coane ...How Did Phoenix Get Its Name?
Arizona's capital city might have been called "Salina," "Stonewall," or even "Pumpkinville," had it not been for a spurious English "Lord" named Darrell Duppa. Duppa was a well-educated world traveler who, it was rumored, was given a substantial allowance by his wealthy English relatives to remain permanently at large. His raucous lifestyle, highlighted by epic ...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 ...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 ...Arizona Place Names (Pt. 2): Origins from Prominent People, Patriotism in Old Arizona
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 ...Arizona Place Names: A Slew of Cities and Counties with Spanish, Indian and Random Origins
Ever since man first set foot in this land called Arizona, he has felt compelled to name every river, waterhole, mountain pass and trail. Inspiration was usually drawn from great natural spectacles and awesome beauty, but not always. Among Arizona's fabulous mineral laden mountains lie the skeletal remains of storied ghost camps of yesteryear, born ...Think Arizona is the Grand Canyon State? Think Again.
It’s pretty safe to say that a large amount of residents consider Arizona the “Grand Canyon State.” State nicknames like this are commonplace around the nation, and many of us thought the massive hole that juts through the northern part of our state supposedly gave us our moniker. Yet it turns out, this isn’t our official ...Big Counties Make Sense in Arizona
After Arizona became a U.S. territory in 1863, four counties were created—Mojave, Pima, Yuma and Yavapai. A fifth county, Pah-Ute, was claimed — and taxed — by both Arizona and Nevada, with Nevada emerging as the winner. Maricopa County was created in 1871, and others came along over time when need arose.
Why Does Downtown Phoenix Seem to Have Two Downtowns?
The Tucson Artifacts are the Southwest’s Greatest Hoax