Arizona Trivia & Tidbits - Page 4

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

Reported to be Arizona’s only commercial olive oil farm and mill, Queen Creek Olive Mill opened in 2005 to produce extra virgin olive oil from some 1,000 olive trees on its property in Queen Creek (pop. 4,316). Harvested in the fall, the pesticide-free olives, which include Spanish, Greek and Italian varieties, produce cooking oil that can have peppery and even grassy flavors.

first appeared: 10/7/2007

—Along with traditional golf carts, the Westin Kierland Resort & Spa offers a unique, low-impact way to navigate its 27-hole golf course in Scottsdale: the Segway Golf Transporter. The two-wheeled, electric-powered, self-balancing Segway—adapted to hold a golf bag, scorecards, golf balls, tees and drinks—rolls along while a golfer stands on its platform, controlling direction with a large handle.

first appeared: 9/30/2007

—The state has designated 2007 as the “Year of the Buffalo Soldiers,” recognizing Arizona as one of the frontier homes of the buffalo soldier, and also recognizing the contributions made by the black troops to the nation and the state. Black units were based in Fort Huachuca—near Sierra Vista (pop. 37,775) and Huachuca City (pop. 1,751)—in the late 1890s and early 1900s.

first appeared: 9/9/2007

Henry O. Flipper became the first black to graduate from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1877, when he was assigned to the 10th Cavalry. Respected for his engineering abilities, Flipper went on to establish a civil engineering office in Nogales (pop. 20,878) after his 1882 dismissal from the army, which the U.S. Army turned into a good conduct discharge in 1976.

first appeared: 9/9/2007

—The National Trust for Historic Preservation last year named Prescott (pop. 33,938) one of a Dozen Distinctive Destinations on its annual list of unique and lovingly preserved communities across the nation. Prescott, which became the first territorial capital in 1864, was recognized in part for museums that celebrate the Wild West, featuring American Indian and Western art and frontier history.

first appeared: 8/26/2007

—When Betty and Bob Matas were planning their move from New York City to Sedona (pop. 10,192) earlier this year, they were concerned about sending their cats by airplane, and since the retired couple don’t drive, they asked taxi driver Douglas Guldeniz to take them. The agreed-upon price for the 2,400-mile trip in his SUV taxi was $3,000, plus gas, meals and lodgings.

first appeared: 8/12/2007

—On March 20, 2007, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin was among the first to step onto the $30 million Grand Canyon Skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass walkway that extends 70 feet from the rim at Grand Canyon West, north of Kingman (pop. 20,069). Aldrin joined leaders of the Hualapai tribe for the Skywalk’s inauguration ceremony. The structure allows visitors to see the canyon floor some 4,000 feet below.

first appeared: 7/29/2007

—Sierra Vista (pop. 37,775) has turned the city’s wastewater treatment system into wildlife habitat. The new Environmental Operations Park includes 50 acres of man-made wetlands, where plants and natural processes help to clean the water before returning it to the local aquifer. The wetlands have become a popular area to watch waterfowl, rails, shorebirds, songbirds and raptors, including peregrine falcons.

first appeared: 7/15/2007

—Bradford Thompson, chef de cuisine at Mary Elaine’s restaurant in The Phoenician hotel in Scottsdale, was named “Best Chef in the Southwest” by the James Beard Foundation last year—an award voted on by more than 600 culinary professionals. As chef de cuisine, Thompson is responsible for all culinary operations in the restaurant, a AAA Five Diamond winner.

first appeared: 7/1/2007

The Painted Desert Inn originated as the Stone Tree House, built overlooking the Painted Desert east of Holbrook (pop. 4,917) in 1924 by Herbert Lore. Constructed out of stone, which included some petrified wood, the inn was repaired and renovated in the 1930s and the 1940s when Hopi artist Fred Kabotie painted a series of interior murals. Recently rehabilitated, the structure now is a national park bookstore and museum.

first appeared: 7/1/2007

—The state joined with the Mexican state of Sonora in December 2005 to sign the National Geographic Geotourism Charter promoting stewardship of the Sonoran Desert, which extends into both Arizona and Sonora. The National Geographic Society says geotourism sustains or enhances the geographic character of a place—its environment, culture, aesthetics, heritage and residents’ well-being.

first appeared: 6/17/2007

—The rounded rocks and outcrops that characterize the Granite Dells near Prescott (pop. 33,938) are Precambrian granite, formed millions of years ago and weathered to fanciful shapes. Legend has it that a party of prospectors in the 1800s buried gold dust and nuggets in the Granite Dells, but the treasure never has been found.

first appeared: 6/3/2007

Date palms that produce Halawy, Khadrawy, Medjool and Thoory dates can be found in Dateland, located along Interstate 8 between Yuma and Gila Bend (pop. 1,980). The dates are packaged for sale and also turned into date milkshakes, for which the Dateland Palms Restaurant is famous. The community was founded in the 1920s as a water stop along the railroad.

first appeared: 6/3/2007

—When Marie Brown was hired in 1988 as clerk for the newly incorporated Sedona (pop. 10,192), she became the city’s first—and only—staff member. Armed with dedication and a deep love for Sedona, she quickly earned the community’s respect and trust. Currently director of community services, with responsibility for parks and recreation, art and culture, communications and the city clerk’s office, Brown will retire in August after 19 years of service to Sedona.

first appeared: 5/28/2007

—Vintage aluminum travel trailers take overnight guests back to the mid-20th century at the Shady Dell Trailer Court in Bisbee (pop. 6,090). The current owners of the trailer court, which opened in 1927, feature 10 vintage trailers—including a 1949 Airstream and a 1951 Spartan Royal Mansion—plus a 1957 Valentine diner, and period décor and accessories such as old movies and magazines.

first appeared: 5/6/2007

—Since 1928, a 16-foot-high, 60-ton boulder along U.S. Highway 89 north of Congress (pop. 1,717) has been painted to resemble a huge green frog. The rock art landmark began when Sara Perkins, wife of a local newspaper publisher and state politician, noticed the boulder’s resemblance to a frog. She and her sons painted the rock green and white, and local residents have maintained the tradition.

first appeared: 4/22/2007

—The Phelps Dodge Morenci Mine near Morenci (pop. 1,879) is one of the world’s largest open-pit copper mines, producing 840 million pounds of copper each year. The mine, which began open-pit excavation in 1937, operates around the clock, employs more than 2,000 people and uses gigantic trucks that can haul more than 200 tons of ore at a time.

first appeared: 4/8/2007

—Architect Paolo Soleri was honored with the 2006 Lifetime Achievement Award from the Smithsonian Institution’s Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, thanks to his lifelong focus on urban planning. His Cosanti studios in Paradise Valley (pop. 13,664) and his prototype community of Arcosanti near Mayer (pop. 1,408) demonstrate “arcology”—architecture that’s designed with ecology in mind.

first appeared: 3/25/2007

—Although it does receive an occasional snowfall, the community of Snowflake (pop. 4,460) wasn’t named for winter weather. Founded and named in 1878 by Mormon pioneers, the town got its moniker from the combined surnames of visiting Mormon Apostle Erastus Snow and local landowner William Jordan Flake.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

Hikers in the Coronado National Forest can lighten their loads with the help of goats from Purple Mountain Pack Goats. Tom and Teri DiMaggio run the Tucson-based company, which operates under a U.S. Forest Service permit that allows them to guide visitors accompanied by wethers—male goats noted for their gentleness—that carry the group’s food and belongings.

first appeared: 3/11/2007

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