Arizona Trivia & Tidbits - Page 8

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

Unfulfilled by his dentistry practice, Zane Grey (1872-1939) turned to writing, producing three unsuccessful novels based on the lives of his ancestors. In 1907, he traveled to Arizona and spent time on the ranch of frontiersman Charles "Buffalo" Jones. Grey then wrote The Heritage of the Desert (1910), Riders of the Purple Sage (1912) and more than 80 other successful novels based on his experiences in the West.

first appeared: 7/17/2005

Through his telescope on March 11, 2002, in Palominas, near Naco (pop. 833), Doug Snyder saw a faint patch of light he suspected was a comet. He reported it, as did a Japanese amateur astronomer a few hours later. Their find was named Comet Snyder-Murakami after its co-discoverers.

first appeared: 6/19/2005

About 17 miles south of Florence (pop. 17,054) on State Highway 79, an iron silhouette of a riderless bronco marks the spot where, on Oct. 12, 1940, movie star Tom Mix drove his 1937 Cord off the road, slammed into a gulley and received a fatal blow to the head from a suitcase that flew forward from the back seat.

first appeared: 6/19/2005

Engine 29, one of three steam engines in the Grand Canyon Railway’s fleet, re-entered service last summer following a four-year, $1 million restoration. The 185-ton 1906 locomotive began transporting tourists on the 65-mile trip from Williams (pop. 2,842) to the canyon’s South Rim in 1990. The railway re-instituted service to the canyon in 1989 and currently runs several diesel locomotives, in addition to the steam engines, to the canyon.

first appeared: 6/5/2005

Known for paintings that feature the American Southwest, artist Ettore "Ted" DeGrazia (1909-1982) was born in Morenci (pop. 1,879). One of his most recognized works was Los Niños, a 1960 UNICEF Christmas card that showed a circle of children holding hands, symbolizing world unity.

first appeared: 5/22/2005

The average temperature in Yuma (pop. 77,515) is 75 degrees, not 124 degrees as reported in a previous edition of American Profile. Yuma’s all-time high temperature is 124 degrees, recorded on July 28, 1995.

first appeared: 5/22/2005

The U.S. Forest Service named Suzanne Romero the 2004 Forest Protection Officer of the Year. Working in the Coconino National Forest, headquartered in Flagstaff (pop. 52,894), Romero was honored for helping enforce the law and assist the pubic, and she and her crew were credited with reducing human-caused fires on the 1.8-million-acre forest to a record low for two consecutive years.

first appeared: 5/8/2005

Tucson is home to the University of Arizona, not Arizona State University as reported in a previous edition of American Profile. Arizona State University is in Tempe.

first appeared: 5/8/2005

In 1968, Robert McCulloch, founder of Lake Havasu City (pop. 41,938), paid more than $2.4 million for the 1831 London Bridge and another $7 million to move it to his community. Each stone was numbered, removed and shipped from London, England, to Long Beach, Calif., and then trucked to Arizona for reconstruction.

first appeared: 4/24/2005

Established in 1882, Kingman (pop. 20,069) took the name of Lewis Kingman, who in 1880 surveyed the area between Needles, Calif., and Albuquerque, N.M., for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. In 1886, Kingman became the home of the Mohave County Miner (now known as the Kingman Daily Miner) and in 1887 was named the seat of Mohave County.

first appeared: 3/27/2005

During a wagon-road survey along the 35th parallel in 1857, Lt. Edward Fitzgerald (Ned) Beale used camels, imported from the Middle East, and employed a Syrian named Hadji Ali, known as Hi Jolly. Adept at packing and handling the animals, Hi Jolly worked for the Army until 1870 as a herder, express rider, assistant wagon master, pack master, guide and scout. The last of the animals died in the 1880s. Hi Jolly died in Tyson Wells, now Quartzsite (pop. 3,354) in 1902.

first appeared: 3/27/2005

Cowboy Rolf Flake has written more than 200 poems since 1981, leading state historian Marshall Trimble to call him Arizona’s "poet lariat." Flake was born in Snowflake (pop. 4,460) in 1931 and raised on the family ranch.

first appeared: 3/13/2005

The Nellie E Saloon in the Buckskin Mountains near Parker (pop. 3,140) features windows made from old glass refrigerator doors and steel bar stools that sway from side to side. The solar-powered saloon, completed in 1988, stands in the desert on land that was once a copper mining camp.

first appeared: 2/27/2005

Before the Titan II missile could be displayed in its launch position at the Titan Missile Museum in Sahuarita (pop. 3,242) in 1986, the museum had to prove, in accordance with international weapons treaties, that it could no longer be used. Holes were cut into the missile’s fuel tanks, and the missile was left outside for 30 days so that satellites could observe the damage. The site, once known as Site 571-7, was one of 54 Titan II missile facilities and was on alert from 1963 to 1982.

first appeared: 1/30/2005

The Navajo Nation Zoo and Botanical Park in Window Rock (pop. 3,059) provides a sanctuary for plants and animals important to Navajo history and culture—including bobcats, rattlesnakes, coyotes, eagles, box turtles, wolves, Navajo churro sheep and the one-seeded juniper tree, which can survive on as little as 10.5 inches of rain a year.

first appeared: 1/16/2005

Steve and Annette Economides have been called "America's cheapestfamily"-and they're happy with the title. They spend just $350 a month forfood, cleaning and paper products for their Scottsdale family of seven, whichincludes five children between the ages of 10 and 21. Their secrets include carefulplanning, shopping only once a month and coupon clipping. Through their Home Economiseronline newsletter, they offer a variety of other tips for living on the cheap.

first appeared: 1/2/2005

Humorist, newspaperman and town founder Dick Wick Hall reportedly gave Salome (pop. 1,690) its name in the early 1900s, after Salome Pratt attempted to cross an area of hot sand barefoot. The town thus became known as "Salome—where she danced—Arizona."

first appeared: 12/19/2004

Soon after Page (pop. 6,809) was established in 1957 as a construction camp for the Glen Canyon Dam, 12 churches were granted land along Seventh Avenue. Today, locals know a portion of that street, which has become Lake Powell Boulevard, as "Church Row."

first appeared: 12/5/2004

During late fall and winter, some 1.5 million people visit Quartzsite (pop. 3,354) to buy, sell and swap rocks. The town, which experienced a mining boom in 1897, held its first Pow Wow Gem & Mineral Show in 1967; today, nine major rock shows attract more than 2,000 vendors.

first appeared: 11/21/2004

The Couch’s spadefoot, a toad-like animal that calls the state’s desert and grassland regions home, spends much of its life buried in the soil to protect against the heat and uses sickle-shaped "spades" on its hind feet to dig itself in. When summer storms arrive, thunder and rainfall signal the toad to emerge and breed in temporary rain-fed pools.

first appeared: 11/7/2004

jump to page: 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 , 7 , 8 , 9 , 10 , 11 , 12 , 13 , 14 , 15 , 16 , 17 , 18 , 19

newspaper partner login create account

Recent

Popular

Recipes

Below are the most recent American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile articles:

Below are the most recent, highest rated American Profile recipes:

Relish

Spry

Below are the most recent articles from our Relish sister site. Click on the "Spry" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.

Below are the most recent articles from our Spry sister site. Click on the "Relish" tab above to see the most recent articles from our other sister site.