       |
|
|
|
MY ARIZONA
As a daughter of the desert I offer tribute to pay homage
to the mystery, splendor and majestic glory of this magical state.
I bow in sincere appreciation of Mother Nature for
Her gifts bestowed upon my sweet, my home ...
my Arizona. |
|
|
|
"To
see the Grand Canyon full of purple smoke at dawn or sublimely fired at
sunset, is to be elevated in soul. To see the red rocks; the alkali flats
like snow; the sand dunes so graceful and curved; the long cedar slopes,
speckled green and gray, leading up to the bold peaks; the vast black belts
of timber; the Navajo facing the sunrise with his silent prayer; the Hopi
in his alfalfa fields, or the Apache along the historical Apache Trail;
the coyote sneaking through the arroyos; the lonely cliff dwellings with
their monuments of a vanished race; the endless slopes of sage, green and
gray and purple on the heights; the natural stone bridges and petrified
forests - - and a thousand more beautiful sights - - that is to see Arizona."
- Zane Grey, "An Appreciation of the Grand Canyon" |
ARIZONA |
|
|
|
ARIZONA
STATE PARKS |
"Arizona!
A magic word. Arizona! What visions of grandeur those seven letters conjure.
Arizona! A symphony in mad extravagant colors, shaded with the soft light
of the desert in the evening, the purple mountains at twilight, the mauve
sky of a rising sun... To all men and all women there is a different Arizona.
But to all men as to all women there is one overwhelming Arizona - - that
is Arizona, the land of great beauty, and Arizona, the land of rich magnificent
color. Arizona!"
- Raymond Carlson, "Arizona's Scenic Seasons" |
|
|
|
"We
have an unknown distance yet to run, an unknown river to explore. What
falls there are, we know not; what rocks beset the channel, we know not;
what walls rise over the river, we know not. Ah, well! We may conjecture
many things."
- John Wesly Powell, "The Exploration of the Colorado River and Its Canyons" |
GRAND CANYON |
|
|
|
 GHOST TOWNS |
"Here
lies Lester Moore
Shot with a .44
No Les, No more."
- Tombstone epitaph Boot Hill Graveyard |
|
|
|
"Oh
yes, I have heard of that country - - it is just like hell. All it lacks
is water and a good society."
- An
Ohio Senator during a congressional discussion of territorial status
for
Arizona, 1862 |
 PHOENIX |
|
|
|
TUCSON |
"Low
foothills ring the city and jagged peaks float in the distance. At every
hour of the day they appear to change color as brown turns to lavender
and then to deep blue at twilight."
"Arizona Memories" regarding Tucson |
|
|
|
"Arizona
is famous for her beautiful deserts, the haven of winter visitors... But
there is another Arizona beyond the deserts that many casual travelers
often fail to see - - the forests. Arizona's vast forest lands are a rich
natural asset."
- Joseph Garrison Pearce, "Arizona's FIRST Forest Ranger" |
FLAGSTAFF |
|
|
|
BARRY
M. GOLDWATER 1909 - 1998
 |
"Barry
Goldwater was the rare politician who managed to be both, an outspoken,
truth-telling patriot who took his obligations as a lawmaker seriously
and who helped shape the destiny of a great nation. His uncommon honesty
and ability made him an American legend in his own time."
- May 30, 1998
Senator John McCain to the Washington Post |
|
|
|
|
Arizona's Official State Song
Come to this land of sunshine ... to this land where life is young. Where the wide, wide world is waiting, the songs that will now be sung. Where the golden sun is flaming into warm, white shining day, and the sons of men are blazing their priceless right of way.
Come stand beside the rivers within our valley broad. Stand here with heads uncovered, in the presence of our God! While all around about us ... the brave unconquered band ... as guardians and landmarks ... the giant mountains stand.
Not alone for gold and silver is Arizona great.
But with graves of heroes sleeping, all the land is consecrate! O, come and live beside us however far ye roam ... come and help us build up temples and name those temples "home."
Sing the song that's in your hearts ... sing of the great Southwest. Thank God, for Arizona ... in splendid sunshine dressed. For thy beauty and thy grandeur, for thy regal robes so sheen
... we hail thee Arizona: our Goddess and our queen.
Written by Margaret Rowe Clifford - - Composed by Maurice Blumenthal © 1915
"ARIZONA"
(Alternative State Song)
|
I love you Arizona
...your mountains, your deserts and your streams ... the rise of Dos Cabezas,
and the outlaws I see in my dreams. I love you Arizona - - superstitions
and all ... the warmth you give at sunrise, your sunsets put music in a song.
Oh Arizona, you're the magic in me... oh Arizona, you're the life blood
of me. I love you Arizona - - desert dust on the wind; the sage and cactus
are bloomin', and the smell of the rain on your skin. Oh Arizona, you're
in magic in me... oh Arizona, you're the life blood of me.
- Lyrics by Rex Allen Jr. - © Warner Brothers
"Cat's
In The Cradle" |
|
|
|
|
 |
"Arizona"
comes from the Spanish interpretation of "arizuma," an Aztec Indian word
meaning "silver bearing". The name is also based on a Pima Indian word
"arizonac" for "little spring place."
Arizona has
114,006 square miles of pure beauty.
The State of Arizona has a 2016 estimate of total population at 6,927,347 million.
|
The
state motto is Ditat Deus... meaning "God Enriches".
Arizona was the 48th state admitted to the USA; it became a state on February 14, 1912.
The state colors are federal blue and old gold.
The capital
and largest city, near the center of the state, is Phoenix with
the population estimated for the metro Phoenix area (also known as the Valley of the Sun) at 4.6 million.
Elevation
in Phoenix is 1117 feet with a "hot" average of 86% sunny days!
Tucson,
which is southeast of Phoenix, is the next largest city.
There are 15 counties in the state of Arizona:
Apache - Far Northeast. County seat is St. Johns
Cochise - Far Southeast. County seat is Bisbee
Coconino - Far North Central. County seat is Flagstaff
Gila - Central. County seat is Globe
Graham - Eastern Central. County seat is Safford
Greenlee - Far Eastern Central. County seat is Clifton
La Paz - Far Western Central. County seat is Parker
Maricopa - Central. County seat is Phoenix
Mohave - Far Northwest. County seat is Kingman
Navajo - Northeast. County seat is Holbrook
Pima - South Central. County seat is Tucson
Pinal - Central. County seat is Florence
Santa Cruz - Far South Central. County seat is Santa Cruz
Yavapai - North Central. County seat is Prescott
Yuma - Far Southwest. County seat is Yuma |
|
|
|
 |
The
13 rays of red and gold on the top half of the flag represent both the 13 original colonies of the Union, and the rays of the Western setting sun. Red
and gold were also the colors carried by Coronado's expedition in search
of the Seven Cities of Cibola in 1540. |
The bottom half of the flag has
the same Liberty blue as the United States flag. Since Arizona was the
largest producer of copper in the nation, a copper star was placed in the
flag's center.
Click on the flag image to learn more about the flag that represent Arizona. |
|
|
|
 |
The
Cactus
Wren is the State Bird. This noisy creature lives within the protection
of the cacti of the Arizona deserts.
Click on the image to learn more about
the wren of the spines. |
|
|
|
 |
The
State Flower, is the Saguaro Cactus.
Click on the
image to learn more about this majestic plant.
|
|
|
|
 |
NATIVE AMERICANS IN ARIZONA:
The Anasazi ("Ancient Ones") who are now the modern Pueblo Indians, Hohokam, Mogollon and Salado were the first peoples of Arizona and their ancestors are the present Native Americans who live throughout the Southwest.
There are 22 Tribes of Native American Indians throughout Arizona (click on the tribe name to learn more): |
Ak-Chin Indian Community - located south of Phoenix. Established in 1912 with 21,480 acres in AZ. These are the Tohona O'Odham and Pima peoples.
Cocopah Tribe - located south of Yuma along the Colorado River. Established in 1917 with 7,772 acres in AZ. These are the Cocopah people.
Colorado River Indian Tribes - located southwest, along the Colorado River. Established in 1865 with 225,995 acres in AZ. These are the Mojave, Chemehuevi, Hopi and Navajo peoples.
Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation - located just east of Phoenix. Established in 1886 with 26,400 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai-Apache peoples.
Fort Mojave Indian Tribe - located northwest, along the Colorado River. Established in 1859 with 22,820 acres in AZ. These are the Mojave people.
Fort Yuma/Quechan Tribe - located west along the Colorado River. Established in 1884 with 2,381 acres in AZ. These are the Quechan people.
Gila River Indian Community - located south of metro Phoenix. Established in 1859 with 373,365 acres in AZ. These are the Pima-Maricopa peoples.
Havasupai Tribe - located southwest of the Grand Canyon National Park (and live in the Grand Canyon). Established in 1880 with 185,516 acres in AZ. These are the Havasupai people.
Hopi Tribe - located in northeast Arizona. Established in 1882 with 1,561,213 acres in AZ. These are the Hopi-Tewa peoples.
Hualapai Tribe - located west along the Colorado River. Established in 1883 with 992,463 in AZ. These are the Hualapai people.
Kaibab Paiute Tribe - located north along the Utah border. Established in 1934 with 120,413 acres in AZ. These are the Paiute people.
Navajo Nation - located in northeast Arizona. The entire reservation is approximately the size of West Virginia and was established in 1868 with 11,601,856 acres in AZ. These are the Navajo people.
Pascua Yaqui Tribe - located just southeast of Phoenix and in Tucson. Established in 1964 with 892 acres. These are the Pascua Yaqui people.
Pueblo of Zuni - located primarily in New Mexico, the tribe has land holdings in Apache County, Arizona for a total acreage of 450,000. These are the Zuni people.
Salt River Pima/Maricopa Indian Community - located northeast of Phoenix. Established in 1879 with 53,000 acres. These are the Pima-Maricopa peoples.
San Carlos Apache Tribe - located east of Phoenix and throughout southeastern Arizona. Established in 1871 with 1,826,541 acres in AZ. These are the Apache people.
San Juan South Paiute Tribe - these tribal members reside throughout the Navajo Reservation, east of the Grand Canyon. These are the Paiute-Navajo peoples.
Tohono O'odham Nation - located in south central Arizona and entire reservation is approximately the size of Connecticut. Established in 1874 with 2,854,881 acres. These are the Tohono O'odham (formerly Papago) and Pima peoples.
Tonto Apache Tribe - located on the Mogollon Rim area northeast of Phoenix. Established in 1972 with 85 acres in AZ. These are the Tonto Apache people.
White Mountain Apache Tribe - located in eastern central Arizona. Established in 1891 with 1,664,984 acres in AZ. These are the White Mountain Apache people.
Yavapai-Apache Nation - located in central Arizona. Established in 1871 with 644 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai-Apache people.
Yavapai-Prescott Indian Tribe - located near Prescott in central Arizona. Established in 1935 with 1390 acres in AZ. These are the Yavapai people.
|
|
|
|
Arizona photos used under purchased license from BigStockPhoto.com
|
|
|
|
|
|
