Arizona History & Culture

The written history of Arizona began when the Spaniards sent exploration parties northward from Mexico. The first was a Franciscan priest named Marcos de Niza, who entered the territory in 1539. Other Spanish missionaries followed, the most famous of which was Father Kino, and established missions to bring Christianity to the Indians. Coronado arrived in the Southwestern United States in about 1540 claiming the land for Spain. In 1752, the fort in Tubac became the first European settlement in Arizona and in 1776 Tucson was established. After Mexico declared independence from Spain in 1821, they went to war with United States. The war ended in 1848 with the land north of the Gila River becoming part of the United States. The rest of the area became part of the United States in the Gadsen Purchase in 1853.

This sparked the great westward movement of the early pioneers and increased the military conquest and relocation of the American Indians in the area. In 1864, the most famous of these Arizona clashes, termed “The Long Walk” by the Navajos, took place in the northeastern part of the state when Kit Carson and his men rounded up almost 10,000 Navajos after violent battles and forced them to march hundreds of miles to a camp in Bosque Redondo, New Mexico. Hundreds of Indians died of hunger and starvation along the way; many other were shot en route. Four years later, after enduring extreme hardships in harsh conditions, the remaining Navajos were allowed to return to a 5000 square mile reservation in this part of the state. This reservation would eventually grow to a 20,000 square mile area.

In the early 1800’s, mountain men such as Jeremiah Johnson, Bill Williams, Kit Carson, and Paulino Weaver trapped beaver along the rivers in Arizona. And in the 1840’s, Arizona’s Gila Trail was made famous as a route to hit the gold rush in California. The 1850’s saw the first steamers blazing down the Colorado River. In 1854 copper was discovered in Arizona and a new mining boom began with an explosion of population in such mining towns as Bisbee and Jerome. In the 1860s, Hispanic settlers, Pima and Maricopa Indians moved in and settled along the Gila and Salt Rivers and there was some expansion of settlements near Fort McDowell northeast of Phoenix. In 1863, President Abraham Lincoln declared Arizona a territory and appointed territorial officials. In this same year, gold was discovered in various parts of the state. In 1864, Arizona’s first four counties were established and the capital was based in Prescott. In 1867, the capital was moved to Tucson, which would later be moved back to Prescott once more.

In that same year, Wickenburg resident Jack Swilling saw the farming opportunity in the vast Salt River Valley and the Hohokam irrigation system was once again utilized. Swilling’s company re-opened the ancient Hohokam canals to divert water to the farms. A rich valley of lush farmland was born and began producing crops for the Fort McDowell settlement. In 1870 the territorial population had reached almost 10,000 people and the rich farming area of Phoenix, a name given to the area by a British settler who noted that the town had risen from the ashes of the Hohokam culture like the fabled Phoenix bird, was established. And the next two decades saw prosperous growth in mining and ranching throughout the state populating such towns as Tombstone with its silver and Bisbee with its copper.

On April 10, 1874, President Grant issued a patent for the present site of Phoenix, which contained 320 acres for $550; downtown lots were selling for $7 to $11 each. By 1880, Phoenix had a population of about 3000, a school enrollment of 400, and an ice factory. In 1876, the Yuma Territorial Prison was established, housing Arizona’s most feared criminals. On March 12, 1895, the first train arrived in Phoenix connecting it with the northern Arizona and Santa Fe lines. By the time Phoenix became the territorial capital in 1889, Tempe, too, was growing, and in 1886 the Arizona Normal School was established, which would later be known as Arizona State University (ASU). Mormon settlers founded Mesa in 1878. Scottsdale was established a decade later, named after army chaplain Winfield Scott, one of its first settlers.

In 1881, the Southern Pacific Railroad built lines crossing the state of Arizona opening the state up for more relocation and migrant workers. In the following two years, Atlantic & Pacific Railroad crossed the state as well. And in 1895, Phoenix was linked by rail to railroad lines north and south, increasing the flow of people and goods throughout the Southwest.

Until the surrender of Geronimo in 1886, the Apaches and the US military continued to fight. The Apaches, which were know for raiding pioneer settlements and were the last tribe not resigned to life on a reservation, were finally contained. The Indian fighting that had so plagued the territory in the past has come to an end. And in 1900, the state population increased to almost 125,000 people growing to over 200,00 just 10 years later.

In 1902, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the National Reclamation Act making it possible to build dams on western streams for reclamation purposes, a crucial event for the people of Arizona. This provided the farming communities, who depended so significantly on water, a newfound confidence and launched an era of growth and vitality securing the area’s future. In 1911, the Roosevelt Dam was completed, providing Arizona with year-round drinking and irrigation water.

Arizona was approved for statehood on Feb. 14, 1912 by President William Taft. Women gain the right to vote in Arizona in that same year. In 1919, Grand Canyon National Park was formed. In 1926, Phoenix's railway link became transcontinental, enabling people from the East to pour into the state in increasing numbers. Many came for rest and relaxation at the Arizona Biltmore Resort, which opened in 1929, others came for the exceptional business opportunities. In 1930, the planet Pluto was discovered in Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff.

In 1930, the size of Phoenix doubled increasing the census count to 48,118. There were now 161 miles of streets (77 with pavement,) the public library had 51,000 books, and the police force had 70 men. Industry growth outpaced the growth of agriculture and by 1940 agriculture was no longer the source of Phoenix’s growth and prosperity. By this time, the state’s population had grown to almost 500,000. During World War II, Phoenix rapidly became an industrial city. Luke Field, Williams Field and Falcon Field, and a training center at Hyder, west of Phoenix, brought thousands of men into Phoenix. During the war, many Navajo men join the U.S. Marines as Code Talkers. And, in 1942, the federal government authorized two Japanese relocation centers in Arizona.

When the war ended, many of the military men returned to Phoenix with their families, producing thousands of people needing jobs. But industrial growth supplied the job market and Phoenix continued its growth. By 1950, the population of Phoenix had grown to105,000 with thousands more living in the smaller towns that surrounded the city. Phoenix had an area of 17.1 square miles placing it 99th among American cities. The development of Phoenix since 1950 has been at the fastest pace in the West. By 1960, Arizona’s population has reached over 1 million, which tripled just 20 years later. Today, the greater Phoenix metro area covers almost 1,000 square miles and has a population of 2.3 million, ranking it 5th in the United States. The most recent groundbreaking history in Arizona, is the election of five women to the state’s five top executive positions in 1999.

The Arizona Capitol Museum (602-542-4675 or www.dlapr.lib.az.us/museum/capitol) gives insight into Arizona’s history as a territory and during early statehood. To better understand the way the settlers lived, try The Pioneer Arizona Living History Museum (623-465-1052 or www.pioneer-arizona.com), which portrays Arizona's territorial history in an actual town setting. Or, to learn about Arizona’s history in mining, visit Arizona Mining & Mineral Museum (602-255-3791 or www.admmr.state.az.us/). In Wickenburg, the Desert Caballeros Western Museum (928-684-2272 or www.westernmuseum.org) offers a good look at the desert frontier. In Tucson, the Arizona Historical Socitey (www.arizonahistoricalsociety.org) hosts a range of informative and interesting museums offering insight into the history and culture of the region. Tombstone’s Courthouse State Park and Historama attraction offers excellent insight into Wild West history. Bisbee and Jerome both offer great history of Arizona’s mining culture in Bisbee Mining & Historical Museum and Jerome’s Mine Museum. In Northern Arizona, Museum of Northern Arizona (928-774-5213) in Flagstaff offers expansive history and physical evidence of the area’s geological and natural history. Sedona Centennial Museum (800-521-3131 or www.ilxresorts.com) offers unique photos and artifacts from the area’s early days. For a unique tour of the land as seen through the eyes of Native American Indians whose ancestors roamed these lands, try Native Visions (928-567-3035 or www.nativevisionstours.com).

A Phoenix architectural landmark, Tovrea Castle (602-262-6412), has been compared to a giant wedding cake. The castle, built in 1900 is currently under renovation by the city and is said to be open for tours sometime in 2003. For a more modern view of Arizona’s architectural history, visit Taliesin West (480-860-2700) Frank Lloyd Wright's winter home, studio, architectural laboratory, and school. Or, visit the Cosanti Foundation (1-800-752-3187 or www.cosanti.com) in north Scottsdale, which presents a model of Arcosanti (928-632-6233 or www.arcosanti.org). Under construction north of Phoenix, this community is termed “arcology” for its combination of architecture and ecology by its creator Paolo Soleri, a student of Wright’s. Wrigley Mansion, completed in 1931 for the wife of chewing gum millionaire William Wrigley Jr. offers public tours. The view from the lawns offers visitors a remarkable perspective of the Greater Phoenix area.

Today Arizona is home to 21 federally recognized Native American tribes, the most visible being the Navajo, the Hopi and the Apache. Although gaming is now the major economic resource for the tribes, there are many places that offer insight into their rich history. The internationally acclaimed Heard Museum (602-252-8848 or www.heard.org) is one of the best places to experience the cultures and art of Native Americans of the Southwest. The museum's 10 spacious exhibit galleries and beautiful outdoor courtyards feature outstanding traditional and contemporary Native American art. See a prehistoric ruin, take a short hike along an archaeological site, and join in workshops at the Pueblo Grande Museum (602-495-0900 or www.ci.phoenix.az.us/PARKS/pueblo.html) to learn about the ancient Hohokam people. At the Hoo-Hoogam Ki Museum (480-850-8190), view re-creations of traditional housing as well as art and artifacts from the Salt River Pima-Maricopa community. Or, view an ancient petroglyph at the Deer Valley Rock Art Center (623-582-8007 or www.asu.edu/clas/anthropology/dvrac/). In Southern Arizona, the Amerind Foundation museum and research center (520-586-3666) offers exhibits on the history and culture of many American Indian tribes with an emphasis on the tribes of the Southwestern United States.

For a look at Arizona’s Hispanic culture, visit Museo Chicano (602-257-5536), which is Phoenix's only Latin American museum; it contains colorful works by local and national Latino artists. In Southern Arizona, Mission San Xavier del Bac offers an excellent example of Spanish mission architecture and history.