Introduction to History of Arizona
The earliest inhabitants of Arizona, some archeologists believe, were prehistoric peoples who roamed the American southwest about 20,000 years ago. In the centuries that followed, their descendants or successors reached a high level of development. Among these were the Hohokams, who built canals in the desert region, and the Anasazi, or Basketmakers, who constructed cliff dwellings in the upland country. The present-day tribes had emerged by the time Columbus discovered America.
Important dates in Arizona1539 Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan priest, entered what is now Arizona.1540 Francisco Vásquez de Coronado led a Spanish expedition into the region.1776 Tucson was established as a military outpost.1821 Arizona became part of Mexico.1848 Following the Mexican War, Mexico ceded to the United States most of what is now Arizona.1853 The United States and Mexico signed the Gadsden Purchase, which added more land to Arizona.1863 Congress created the Arizona Territory.1912 Arizona became the 48th state on February 14.1936 Hoover Dam was completed.1948 Arizona Indians received the right to vote.1974 Construction began on the Central Arizona Project to provide water from the Colorado River to the state's needy areas. Project completed in 1991.1975 Raul H. Castro became the first Mexican American governor of Arizona.1981 Arizona Judge Sandra Day O'Connor became the first woman appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court.1988 Governor Evan Mecham was removed from office. He was replaced by Secretary of State Rose Mofford, the first woman to serve as Arizona's governor.1991 Central Arizona Project completed.1997 Arizona Governor Fife Symington resigned.1998 Jane Dee Hull, who had replaced Symington, was elected to a full term. She thus became the first woman to be elected governor of Arizona.Explorers and Missionaries
The first white man known definitely to have entered Arizona was Marcos de Niza, a Franciscan friar, who told of seeing in 1539 the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola. In 1540 a military expedition commanded by the Spanish adventurer Francisco Vásquez de Coronado was sent to seize the seven cities and their fabulous treasures. However, the Spaniards found only Zuni Indian villages (near modern Gallup, New Mexico).
Other explorers came seeking precious metals, but none of Arizona's rich silver or gold deposits were uncovered. Attempts to colonize the area were hindered by hostile Indians. In 1598, however, the explorer Juan de Oñate claimed the territory of New Mexico (the present states of Arizona and New Mexico) for Spain.
Early in the 17th century, Spanish Jesuit missionaries journeyed to Arizona to bring the Christian faith and Spanish culture to the Indians. Many missions were built, including Tumacacori (1696) and San Xavier del Bac (1700), founded by Eusebio Francisco Kino. Father Kino converted thousands of Indians and taught them agricultural methods. Frequently the missions were raided by unfriendly Indians. After an uprising by Pima and Papago tribes, the Spaniards founded a presidio (garrison) at Tubac in 1752. In 1776 it was moved to Tucson.
Because of the upheaval caused by the Mexican revolt against Spain (1811–21) and increased Indian hostility, missionary activity diminished and many of the settlers, traders, and miners left the area. In 1824 the Territory of New Mexico was organized by the newly established Republic of Mexico. During the period of Mexican rule, a number of Americans were attracted to the territory by tales of its many resources.
Annexation By the United States
During the Mexican War, 1846–48, United States troops invaded the territory. Tucson was seized in December, 1846. The treaty of Guadalupe-Hidalgo (1848), which ended the war, gave the United States the part of New Mexico Territory north of the Gila River. The land south of the Gila was acquired through the Gadsden Purchase of 1853. An attempt to have the U.S. Congress separate Arizona from New Mexico failed in 1856.
About mid-century, the movement of pioneers southwestward began. Of those who planned to settle on the Pacific coast, many remained in Arizona, establishing farms and ranches. Prospectors found gold and silver. Yet settlement was slow, partly because of the arid climate, partly because of fierce resistance by the Apache and other Indians.
Many of the early settlers had come from the South, and their sympathies lay with the Confederacy during the Civil War. However, Arizona remained loyal to the Union, and in 1863 it was organized as a separate territory by Congress, with the capital at Prescott. (The capital was moved to Tucson in 1867, back to Prescott in 1877, and to Phoenix in 1889.)
To control the Indians, more soldiers were sent and a number of forts were built. As the Indian danger lessened, settlers arrived in greater numbers, although the Indians were not finally subdued until the capture of Geronimo in 1886. During the 1870's, population jumped from 9,658 to 40,440. Sheep and cattle ranches multiplied. Irrigation was developed. Fortunes in gold, silver, and copper were made almost overnight. The result was new boom towns and a period of lawlessness in the late 19th century.
48th State
Efforts to secure Congressional approval for Arizona statehood began in 1892. Congress passed an enabling act in 1910, a constitution was drawn up and approved in 1911, and Arizona was admitted to the Union in 1912. After statehood was achieved, much progressive legislation was enacted, including a law granting woman suffrage in 1912.
Continued development of the state's resources dependent upon the supply of water. Major reclamation projects, such as Roosevelt Dam (1911), Coolidge Dam (1930), and Hoover Dam (1936), provided water for agricultural, domestic, and industrial needs.
The state's industrial boom did not begin until World War II. Defense activities attracted business and industry to Arizona. During the 1940's and 1950's, population nearly tripled, from 499,261 to 1,302,161. Water conservation and utilization, however, remained the key to continued economic and social development. A dispute with California and Nevada arose over proposed diversion of additional water from the Colorado River for the Central Arizona Project. In 1968 the U.S. Congress finally approved the project. Water began arriving in Phoenix in 1985 and Tucson in 1991.
In 1988 Governor Evan Mecham was impeached and convicted of misuse of state funds. Early in the 1990's, several legislators and lobbyists were implicated in an illegal gambling operation and a former Navajo tribal chairman was convicted of fraud. In 1998 elections, women were elected to all five of the highest statewide elected positions. Secretary of State Rose Mofford became the state's first female governor when she finished Mecham's term. The 1997 governor Fife Symington was also convicted, for bank fraud, and he later resigned; in 1999, his name was cleared. Jane Dee Hull, former Secretary of State and Symington's replacement, ran for a full turn as governor in 1998 and won.
Arizona was one of the nation's fastest-growing states between 1980 and 2000, with population increases between 35 and 40 percent. The economy remained strong throughout this period and the population growth shifted from rural to urban areas.