Over
550 years ago Franciscan friar Marcos de Niza and Francisco Vasquez de
Coronado both failed to discover the wealth of the Seven Cities of Cibola.
Today, the wealth of Arizona can be found in the startling natural wonders
of the state, in vast mineral reserves, in the healthful climate and in
the rich cultural heritage of the "Pueblos".
One
of the "Seven Natural Wonders of the World", the Grand Canyon
attracts nearly five million visitors each year and Monument Valley's
sandstone monoliths have served as the breathtaking backdrop for many
classic western films.
Arizona
leads all states in the production of copper and non-fuel minerals.
From
about 700 A.D. to 1200 A.D. the Pueblo (Spanish for village) people
flourished, building the great communal cliff dwellings that today, serve
as testament to a remarkably unique culture.
This
state with a tumultuous past was also the home of Geronimo and Cochise and
set the scene for the "Gunfight at the OK Coral" where the score
was finally settled between the Earps and the Clantons.
THE NAME:
It's said that a mining speculator named Charles D. Poston first suggested the name Arizona in a petition to
the United States Congress to make Arizona a legal territory.
The name, Arizona, is derived from a combination of two words from the Papago Indian dialect of the Pima language;
"Aleh" and "Zon" together as "Aleh-zon" meaning "little spring." The
"little spring", located in Mexican territory, is near a large silver discovery made in Arizona Creek.
Other names suggested in 1854, when the inhabitants of the area petitioned the U.S. Congress for territorial
recognition, were Pimeria and Gadsonia. According to Thomas Edwin Farish's History of Arizona
printed in 1915, Arizona was selected because it sounded the best.
Pimeria was in reference to the land of the Pima Indians of the region.
Gadsonia was a Latin adaptation of the surname of James Gadsden. This suggested name is rooted in one
man's dream/scheme to establish a southern transcontinental railroad running from Florida to the Pacific coast.
Underlying this idea was Mr. Gadsden's desire to make the western territories economically dependent on the southern
states rather than the northern states. James Gadsden was appointed U.S. Minister to Mexico and instructed to
purchase, from Mexico, a strip of land south of the Gila River and lying in what is now southwestern New Mexico
and southern Arizona. The
Gadsden Purchase
formalized the
deal,
providing Mexico with $10,000,000, the United States
with 45,535 square miles of land and a clarified the U.S./Mexico boundary. The Gadsden Purchase also provided James Gadsden with a
route for his transcontinental railroad.
Click here
for more about the Gadsden Purchase.
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S.
State Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols
Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 1996
Source: Shankle Ph.D., George Earlie,
State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols
The H. W. Wilson Company, New York, New York - 1938, Reprint Services Corp., 1971 |
THE NICKNAME:
The Grand Canyon State: This popular nickname for Arizona references the incomparable
Grand Canyon in the northern part of the state,
one of the world's natural wonders.
The Copper State: Producing more copper than any other state in the union, the Copper State is
an apt nickname for Arizona. This nickname is reinforced by the copper star that is at the center of the
Arizona State Flag.
The Apache State: Arizona was referred to as the Apache State because of the great numbers of
Apache that lived in the territory. The Apache people fought bravely to keep newcomers from the state
for many years in the 19th century.
The Aztec State: This nickname was probably in reference to the Aztec place names found in the
Gila and Salt River valleys. Some of the ruins along these rivers may have been built by the Aztecs.
The Baby State: For a period of time, Arizona was the "baby" of the republic. It was the last of
the contiguous 48 states to be admitted to the union in 1912. It was another 47 years later that Alaska
and Hawaii gained statehood.
The Valentine State: Happy Valentines Day! Yes, Arizona has been referred to as the Valentine State
because it was admitted to the union on February 14th!
Italy of America: The Italy of America nickname compares the beautiful and scenic mountain regions of
the state of Arizona with the mountains of Italy.
The Sand Hill State: This nickname is a reference to the desert-like appearance of many areas
throughout the state.
The Sunset State: This nickname most certainly stemmed from the beautiful sunsets throughout the
state and particularly at the Grand Canyon. Arizona does provide a magnificent foreground for dramatic sunsets.
"Sunset Land," a variation of the Sunset State, has also been recorded. Patrick Hamilton, in his book,
The Resources of Colorado, published in 1884, stated "...there is no region on the globe, not even excepting
the Italian peninsula, that can show such grand effects of light and shade, such gorgeousness of coloring, or
such magnificent sun-bathed landscapes. When the banks of clouds around the western horizon look like masses of
burnished gold set in a sea of silver, then is presented a picture to which neither pen nor pencil can do justice."
Source: Shearer, Benjamin F. and Barbara S. State
Names, Seals, Flags and Symbols Greenwood Press, Westport, Connecticut - 2001
Source: Shankle Ph.D., George Earlie,
State Names, Flags, Seals, Songs, Birds, Flowers, and Other Symbols
The H. W. Wilson Company, New York, New York - 1938, Reprint Services Corp., 1971 |
THE CITIZENS:
People who live in or come from Arizona are referred to as Arizonans. According to A Book of Nicknames, by
John Goff, published in 1892, Arizonans were sometimes referred to as "Sand Cutters" by people from outside the
state, but it is not clear how this nickname for the people of Arizona came to be. |
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