Aaron M. Wright, Ph.D.
As the country celebrates its 250th anniversary, it helps to put Arizona’s history in context. Arizona wasn’t part of the United States until acquired from Mexico in the mid-1800s. In 1776, as eastern colonies were signing the Declaration of Independence, the Tucson’s Spanish presidio was less than a year old, and Yavapai County remained uncharted territory.

But Arizona has a 250th anniversary to commemorate. The National Park Service calls it Anza250—marking a colonizing expedition from the Province of Sonora to the San Francisco Bay region, the northern reach of New Spain. Led by Spanish Captain Juan Bautista de Anza, the 1,800-mile journey from late 1775 to mid-1776 included about 250 people—mostly soldiers and their families—and roughly a thousand head of cattle. Remarkably, only one person died, while three were born, meaning the party grew during what must have been a grueling trek.

By Parker Anderson
When the Organic Act of 1863 officially created the Arizona Territory, President Abraham Lincoln appointed a slate of government officials to travel there and set up a new government.  John N. Goodwin was to be governor, with Richard C. McCormick serving as secretary of the territory.  

Once deciding to set up the new territorial capital of Prescott on the west side of Granite Creek, the new officials lived in tents until Goodwin and McCormick contracted to have a suitable log structure built for them to occupy. Samuel Blair, Daniel Hatz and John Raible were contracted to build what would come to be known as the First Governor’s Mansion, completed in the fall of 1864.

Governor Goodwin disliked holding the position of governor out in the wilds and got himself elected territorial delegate to the U.S. House of Representatives the following year, so he could return east without looking like he was abandoning Arizona. He left for Washington and never returned. Secretary McCormick succeeded him as governor.  

By Paul Fees

In 1882, when I was twelve years old, my parents moved from Barbour [sic] County, Kansas, (in which state they had been among the earliest pioneers), to Yavapai County, Arizona. We started on the third day of November with two covered wagons drawn by four horses each.  I rode a little Texas pony and drove a band of horses.  We followed the old Santa Fe Trail nearly all the way. . . .

– Sharlot Mabridth Hall, 1924

Sharlot Mabridth Hall’s parents, James Knox Polk and Adeline Boblett Hall, were both 37 years old when they decided to bundle up the kids, 11-year-old Sharlot and her little brother, Ted, (7) and move south. It was late in the fall. 

“Winter” drives the story of the Hall family’s migration from Barber County, Kansas to Yavapai County, Arizona. The killing winter of 1880-1881 was sandwiched between seasons of severe drought. When Adeline’s brother, John Boblett, wrote from Prescott in spring of 1881 suggesting a new home, James was quick to decide. He and his partner, Adeline’s and John’s younger brother, Sam, sold their farms, loaded the wagons, and headed northwest a hundred miles to catch the Santa Fe Trail at Fort Dodge.

By Stuart Rosebrook

In the sixteenth century, the Spanish came north from New Spain in search of treasure, especially silver and gold. In 1540 Francisco Vazquez de Coronado led his famous expedition from the West Coast of Mexico to Northern New Spain, including Arizona and New Mexico, looking for “the seven cities of Cibola”. While cities of gold were never found, every generation of explorers and miners since Coronado have sought veins of precious metals across the Southwest.

In Arizona Spanish explorers Antonio de Espejo and Juan de Oñate ventured into the Verde Valley in the late 16th century, noting deposits of silver and copper. As the Spanish Empire sent missionaries and soldiers north, silver and gold were discovered and mined successfully in multiple locations, including the Santa Cruz River Valley and the Santa Rita Mountains south of present-day Tucson. In the 1750s, Spanish settlers mined copper in Ajo, southwest of Tucson, with limited success. In 1855 early American settlers discovered the Spanish copper mine and began reworking the rich deposit of ore. Little did they realize that copper would someday usurp gold and silver as the state’s most valuable ore.

By Andrew Somerville, and Bailey Cacciatore

Human and canine companionship dates back thousands of years. In North America, a recent University of Arizona study suggests that the first human and canine companionship began forming 12,000 years ago, based on archaeological evidence found in Alaska. For generations human and canid relationships were more utilitarian, as canids performed a variety of tasks for people, which can still be true today.

In Arizona archaeological evidence shows the first possible human and canid connections along the Santa Cruz River in Tucson dating between 1200 to 800 BCE. These early relationships between dogs and Indigenous Peoples in Arizona were potentially both spiritual and pragmatic compared to modern counterparts today. Dogs were revered in many Native American cultures and were seen as guides to the spirit world.

By Kristen Kauffman

In celebration of America’s 250^th birthday, Sharlot Hall Museum is drawing attention to Arizona’s involvement in American milestones. Many of our readers know that the histories of Prescott and Tucson are tied to the American Civil War.

Even before the Civil War, there were efforts to establish Arizona as a territory separate from New Mexico.  The territorial capital, Santa Fe, was so remote that administration was cumbersome and unreliable.  War created an urgency.  In April, 1861, the Confederate government declared New Mexico and Arizona to be territories of the Confederacy and sent an invading army.  Union forces from California countered the threat, and on May 2, 1862, President Abraham Lincoln signed the act creating Arizona Territory.  To prove that timing is everything, the Joseph R. Walker party discovered gold in the Bradshaw Mountains in 1863.  Because Tucson and southern Arizona were known to be sympathetic to the Confederacy, the territory’s first governor, John N. Goodwin, established the new capital at Prescott, adjacent to the gold fields and next door to the Union’s Fort Whipple.  In 1867, with the war over,  Governor Goodwin’s successor, Richard McCormick, moved the capital south to Tucson, still the territory’s most populous city.

By Jody Drake                                                                                              

Sharlot Hall, a child raised on the frontier, was a true pioneer shaped by westward expansion. She was among the courageous early explorers who dared to reach for a better life. Migrating from Kansas to Arizona, she had firsthand experience in the early exploration of the West. Her fascination and understanding of preservation were truly remarkable.

By Worcester P. Bong

Noted in last week’s article, the National Cemeteries Act of 1973 (Public Law 93-43) authorized the Veterans Administration (VA) to manage over 100 national cemeteries. The VA was tasked with acquiring land to develop cemeteries (new and existing) and establishing uniform burial eligibility criteria and policies to manage these cemeteries. The building of columbaria walls to meet cremation needs and the introduction of grant programs to expand state-run Veterans' cemeteries were implemented.

In October of 1974, Prescott National Cemetery was closed to new casket burials. As the only national cemetery in Arizona, a proposal was submitted to Congress in January 1975 for a new national cemetery. At the time, the nearest national cemeteries where Arizona veterans could be buried was in California or Texas.

By Worcester P. Bong

What do a Medal of Honor recipient, a Major General, an Apache Scout and a former Whipple Hospital Director have in common? They’re all laid to rest at the Prescott National Cemetery in Prescott, Arizona.

The Prescott National Cemetery has an illustrious history since its beginnings in 1864. Initially the cemetery was established at the temporary location of Fort Whipple in Del Rio Springs (north of present-day Chino Valley). In May of 1864, when Fort Whipple relocated to its permanent location, 1-1/2 miles east of Prescott, the cemetery was located along Granite Creek near the fort. In 1869, after several flash floods washed out numerous burials, the cemetery was relocated to the southern part of the fort’s property. The current location of the cemetery, one half mile southeast of the fort was established in the late 1800’s. In January 1904, the last buried remains from the cemetery on the fort’s grounds were relocated to the current location. 

The history of national cemeteries begins with President Abraham Lincoln and the US Civil War (1861-1865). In July of 1862, mounting death tolls from the war led Congress to empower President Lincoln to purchase cemetery grounds. These became national cemeteries to honor Union soldiers who died in the service of our country. Fourteen national cemeteries were established and managed by the War Department as the National Cemetery System. Many of the national cemeteries were placed near military hospitals, recruitment and training centers. After the war, the National Cemetery Act of February 22, 1867, was passed to finance and expand national cemeteries. By 1870 approximately 300,000 Union soldiers had been buried in 73 national cemeteries.

By Tom Brodersen

Hanukkah, the Festival of Lights, is an ancient Jewish celebration of religious freedom which has been observed for over 2000 years. Hanukkah is still celebrated by Jews all over the world. For most of its history it was considered only a minor festival in comparison to Passover, Rosh Hashana or Yom Kippur. When Prescott was founded, Hanukkah was mostly observed in Jewish homes by lighting candles and saying prayers, which would not be noted in the historical record.

Like most Americans, most of the pioneers were at least nominally Christian. Jews were a small minority among the immigrants seeking religious freedom and economic opportunity. When Michel Goldwater, a Polish Jew, left his home in 1835, he could not have dreamed that his grandson, Barry Goldwater, would one day be a candidate for President of the United States. Michel Goldwater, himself, was elected mayor of Prescott in 1885. His son, Morris Goldwater, served as Prescott’s mayor for over 20 years. They were among many Jewish immigrants who settled in Prescott in territorial days and contributed to the development of Arizona.