Sunday, June 18
On this date in 1868, the Navajos left their exile at Fort Sumner, New Mexico, and began their return journey to Arizona.
On this date in 1879, the first ice plant in Arizona went into production. S.D. Lount established his factory in Phoenix with a five-horsepower engine capable of producing 1,000 pounds of ice per day. He made his deliveries on a homemade wheelbarrow.
On this date in 1882, the Rev. Endicott Peabody held the first service in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, the first Episcopal church in the territory.
On this date in 1913, the temperature hit 100 degrees for the first time that year, marking the latest day to ever hit 100 degrees.
On this date in 1986, a twin-engine aircraft and a helicopter on sightseeing tours of the Grand Canyon collided, killing all 25 people on both aircrafts.
Monday, June 19
On this date in 1895, J.O. Dunbar, editor of the Phoenix Gazette, who called the governor, territorial sSecretary, attorney general and the marshal, “assassins, looters, hoodoos, patronage peddlers and land grant sharks” was convicted and fined $3,000 for libel by a Tucson court.
On this date in 1915, 70,000 persons witnessed as the battleship Arizona was launched at the New York Navy Yard, celebrating with a bottle of the first water to flow over Roosevelt Dam and champagne.
On this date in 1926, dedication of the Coronado Trail Highway was held at Hannagan Meadows.
On this date in 1927, Richard Van Valkenburgh, friend of the Navajos, died. The Navajo Tribal Council passed a resolution stating: “No other white man has ever worked among us with greater devotion and understanding.”
On this date in 1976, the University of Arizona wins its first NCAA Baseball Championship, defeating Eastern Michigan 7-1.
Tuesday, June 20
On this date in 1906, the Arizona Daily Star reported that a poultice of equal parts gunpowder and mustard mixed in to a paste with the white of an egg would cure rabies if applied to the bite wound.
On this date in 1910, the Phoenix Arizona Republican announced a boom in auto sales as one company sold three machines in a single week.
On this date in 1928, bids for the construction of the second section of the Swift Trail in the Graham Mountains were opened at the Bureau of Public Roads in Phoenix.
On this date in 1993, Michael Jordan played his last basketball game as the Chicago Bulls beat the Phoenix Suns in Game 6 of the NBA Finals to capture their third straight championship at America West Arena in Phoenix.
Wednesday, June 21
On this date in 1860, the original Baca Float Grants were made by act of Congress.
On this date in 1867, Pauline Weaver, who had come to Arizona in 1839 and became a guide, scout, trapper and hunter, died at Camp Lincoln at the age of 70.
On this date in 1913, an entire flock of goats drowned in an irrigation ditch in Tucson when they were driven from the Tucson Mountains by thirst and stampeded into the ditch at the smell of water.
On this date in 1922, Arizona’s first licensed broadcasting station, KFAD, went on the air in Phoenix.
On this date in 1936, A.J. Eddy of Yuma developed the first home evaporative cooler.
Thursday, June 22
On this date in 1854, the first steamer on the Colorado River, The Uncle Sam, sank at Pilot Knob.
On this date in 1857, the federal governnment signed a contract with James E. Birch for semi-monthly mail and passenger service from San Antonio, Texas to San Diego via Tucson. The line became known as the “Jackass Mail” because the passengers had to ride mules from Fort Yuma to the coast.
On this date in 1892, the Casa Grande Ruins were declared a national monument by President Benjamin Harrison.
On this date in 1930, a cloudburst dropped 2 inches of rain on Tucson, and was immediately followed by hurricane force winds that ripped roofs off houses.
Friday, June 23
On this date in 1844, Mary Bernard Aguirre was born in St. Louis, Missouri. She married Ephifanio Aguirre, a Santa Fe trader, and came with him to Tucson where she became one of the first school teachers, and the mother of several sons who became prominent in mining and ranching in southern Arizona.
On this date in 1881, a barrel of whiskey exploded in a Tombstone saloon, starting a fire that destroyed the business section of the town.
On this date in 1906, the final survey was completed for the narrow gauge railway from Patagonia to Mowry. It was reported the engineers then planned to go to Salero to survey a line from Salero to Calabasas.
On this date in 1926, a two-state search ended when Aimee Semple McPherson, a colorful Los Angeles evangelist who had been missing since May 18, staggered into Douglas with a tale of kidnapping, torture, ransom demands and imprisonment somewhere in the desert.
On this date in 2013, aerialist Nik Wallenda completed a tightrope walk that took him a quarter-mile over the Little Colorado River Gorge in northeastern Arizona. Wallenda performed the stunt on a 2-inch-thick steel cable, 1,500 feet above the river on the Navajo Nation near the Grand Canyon.
Saturday, June 24
On this date in 1874, the first female postmistress in Arizona was appointed at Walnut in Yavapai County.
On this date in 1888, Kingman was destroyed by fire.
On this date in 1902, Charles D. Poston, “Father of Arizona,” died in poverty in Phoenix.
On this date in 1910, five Papago Indians were seriously burned during the observance of San Juan’s Day near Menager’s Oasis. A large quantity of explosive powder was accidentally ignited, injuring three children and two adults.
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