Arizona Trivia & Tidbits - Page 13

Looking for Arizona trivia? Try our list Arizona little know facts, tidbits and trivia.

The saguaro cactus bloom has a long history in Arizona, becoming the territorial flower in 1901 and the official state flower in 1931. The saguaro blooms in May and June, with creamy-white flowers that open during cool desert nights to attract birds, bats, and insects. The flowers turn into oval green fruit with red flesh that the Papago and Pima Indians make into syrup.

first appeared: 5/4/2003

The nation’s largest and oldest known rose bush grows in Tombstone (pop. 1,504), where its branches cover more than 8,000 square feet. It’s believed that the Lady Banksia climbing rose bush originated from a shoot in Scotland, and was planted by a Scottish settler named Mary Gee in 1855. The white roses bloom in April, which also is when Tombstone holds its Rose Tree Festival.

first appeared: 4/27/2003

Taliesin West in Scottsdale served as home, studio, and school for renowned architect Frank Lloyd Wright, who began creating the indoor-outdoor complex in 1937. Set on 600 acres of the Sonoran Desert near the McDowell Mountains, Taliesin West features redwood trusses and native boulders in its construction, and is open to the public for guided tours.

first appeared: 4/20/2003

With an elevation of 12,633 feet, Humphreys Peak north of Flagstaff is the state’s highest mountain. The view from the summit includes the Grand Canyon, the Painted Desert, the Verde Valley, and mesas that are home to the Hopi Indians.

first appeared: 4/13/2003

The McMath-Pierce Solar Telescope on Kitt Peak, near Tucson, is the world’s largest solar telescope. Since its dedication in 1962, it has been a key part of the National Solar Observatory’s mission to learn more about Earth’s nearest star, the Sun.

first appeared: 4/6/2003

Copper is Arizona’s most abundant mineral, and the state leads the nation in copper production. It also covers the roof of the state Capitol in Phoenix—an amount equivalent to 4,800,000 pennies.

first appeared: 3/30/2003

Four Corners Monument is the only place in the nation where you can stand in four states—Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico and Utah—at the same time. Located within a Navajo Tribal Park, the monument bears the seals of each state, along with a brass insert marking the exact meeting point.

first appeared: 3/23/2003

Meteor Crater, located in northern Arizona’s grasslands, is one of the planet’s best preserved impact craters. It was formed when a small asteroid about 80 feet wide hit the Earth some 50,000 years ago and has space for 20 football fields on its floor.

first appeared: 3/16/2003

The town of Camp Verde (pop. 9,451) celebrates two of Arizona’s most popular agricultural products—pecans and grapes—in its annual Pecan, Wine and Antique Festival. A large portion of funds raised support the “antique” part of the festival, nearby Fort Verde State Historic Park, where Gen. George Crook’s U.S. Cavalry was based in the late 1800s.

first appeared: 3/9/2003

When the Arizona Diamondbacks made their major league debut in 1998, pitcher Travis Lee was the team’s first player to steal a base, hit a single, score a run, drive in a run, and hit a homer. He was a pitcher, remember.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

Thes Havasupai have inhabited the Grand Canyon’s Havasu Canyon in Coconino and Navajo counties since the 1300s. Havasupai means “People of the Blue-Green Waters,” probably for the waterfall pools found near their reservation in Supai. Tourists can reach the village only by helicopter, horseback, or on foot.

first appeared: 3/2/2003

In 1999, Arizona voters elected the Fabulous Five, putting all women in its top five executive offices: Gov. Jane Dee Hull, Secretary of State Betsey Bayless, Attorney General Janet Napolitano, Treasurer Carol Springer, and Superintendent of Public Instruction Lisa Graham Keegan.

first appeared: 2/23/2003

Raul H. Castro, born in Mexico in 1916, became the first Hispanic governor of Arizona in 1974. He previously had served as the U.S. ambassador to El Salvador under President Lyndon B. Johnson and ended his gubernatorial term early to serve as ambassador to Argentina under President Jimmy Carter.

first appeared: 2/16/2003

Arizona’s official mammal, the ringtail, also called a miner’s cat, is a raccoon relative—a small, slender animal with a bushy tail ringed in black and white with a face resembling that of a fox. The solitary, omnivorous animal is found throughout the state.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

The Gila River Reservation, headquartered in Sacaton (pop. 1,584), was Arizona’s first American Indian reservation, established in 1859. It covers 372,000 acres in Maricopa and Pinal counties, and its members, numbering about 11,550, include people from the Pima and Maricopa tribes.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Rachel Allen Berry in 1915 became the first woman elected to Arizona’s House of Representatives. She also was one of the country’s first women to gain such an office.

first appeared: 2/9/2003

Graham County has the only two designated Riparian National Conservation Areas in the United States. These areas of lush vegetation bordering waterways are considered a lifeline for desert wildlife.

first appeared: 2/2/2003

Yuma Lettuce Days, an annual January event, promotes Yuma’s lettuce industry and Arizona-grown products. Yuma, the “Winter Lettuce Capital of the World,” and its surrounding area produce more than 90 percent of the country’s winter vegetable crops. Lettuce is the leading crop in Yuma County’s agricultural industry.

first appeared: 1/26/2003

The America’s Buffalo Soldiers Re-enactors Association, with offices in Phoenix, was founded in 1990 to commemorate the African-American soldiers of the 9th and 10th Cavalry and 24th and 25th Infantry regiments who served the country following the Civil War. They earned their nickname from American Indians because of their bravery in battle.

first appeared: 1/19/2003

The City Hall in Casa Grande (pop. 25,224), known affectionately to locals as “Old Main,” served as the town’s high school in the 1920s. The historic structure was so beloved and culturally significant that citizens recently refurbished it for the town’s city hall.

first appeared: 1/19/2003

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