By Corinne Harmon, Sharlot Hall Museum

Corinne Harmon is the Grants Coordinator at Sharlot Hall Museum. She has been involved in Search & Rescue since 2005, beginning her SAR journey in the Pacific Northwest. She is currently a Wilderness First Responder with Yavapai County Search & Rescue and serves on the Search Dog Unit.

Long before Arizona became a state, its rugged landscape demanded grit, resilience, and a willingness to help one’s neighbors. In the 1800s, when travelers went missing in the desert or livestock strayed into the mountains, rescues were informal—carried out by ranchers, prospectors, or anyone willing to follow tracks and brave the elements. These early efforts laid the foundation for a tradition of community-driven response that would evolve into today’s organized Search and Rescue (SAR) operations.