PHOENIX (AP) - Sunday, April 1
On this date in 1861, the Overland Mail Co. discontinued its route through Arizona because the Civil War in the East forced troop withdrawals and the closing of forts in Arizona, leaving no protection for the letter carriers against Apache Indians.
On this date in 1919, a troop train carrying discharged soldiers from Nogales to Tucson was rerouted after military authorities learned that professional gamblers had gathered in Tucson, hoping to relieve the soldiers of their back-pay.
On this date in 1927, 5,000 Salt River Valley residents helped Glendale celebrate the inauguration of its street lighting system.
On this date in 1931, the Canyon de Chelly National Monument was established.
On this date in 1952, construction of the Arizona-Sonora Desert Museum began.
Monday, April 2
On this date in 1819, Mormon missionary Jacob Hamblin, who was also in charge of colonization along the Little Colorado River and served as guide to Maj. John Wesley Powell over the Lee’s Ferry route, was born in Ohio.
On this date in 1919, at 10 a.m., the first car ever to climb Sentinel Peak in Tucson, started its trek upward. The car sustained one blown tire. The headlights were left on to prove the feat to residents, and the car was parked on the peak for two days so people could climb up and see it for themselves.
On this date in 1927, Cochise and Graham County cattlemen ordered their crews to ride armed and to shoot when necessary to prevent rustling.
On this date in 1933, Gov. Benjamin B. Moeur unveiled a monument on the Arizona-New Mexico state line dedicating the Geronimo Trail from Douglas to Cloverdale, New Mexico.
Tuesday, April 3
On this date in 1904, a leaking gas main exploded in a Prescott saloon and gambling house, injuring four people.
On this date in 1919, Maricopa County, not including the city of Phoenix, stood alone in the rejection of Daylight Savings Time. Other cities and counties gave up the battle and moved their clocks forward an hour, but Maricopa County supervisors insisted there would be no surrender.
On this date in 1927, the Horse Mesa Dam and Power Plant went into operation and began earning $3,200 a day for the Salt River Valley Users Association.
Wednesday, April 4
On this date in 1825, Charles T. Hayden, founder of Tempe and father of Sen. Carl T. Hayden, was born.
On this date in 1917, fire caused by a kerosene lamp destroyed all but two buildings in the mining town of Ajo. Citizens saved a phonograph from a burning store and played “There’ll Be a Hot Time in the Old Town Tonight” as the city burned.
On this date in 1930, the Arizona State School for the Deaf and Blind was closed for lack of funds. The school’s teachers were owed three months’ back pay.
On this date in 1988, Gov. Evan Mecham became the first governor in Arizona history to be removed from office through impeachment. Mecham was convicted by the state Senate of obstruction of justice and misuse of state funds.
On this date in 1988, Rose Mofford became Arizona’s first woman governor following the impeachment conviction of Gov. Evan Mecham.
Thursday, April 5
On this date in 1898, the mining camp of Congress was destroyed by fire, resulting in two deaths and $50,000 worth of property damage.
On this date in 1899, the town of Thatcher was incorporated.
On this date in 1910, the Territorial Board of Control accepted bids and ordered construction of the Pioneers’ Home in Prescott.
On this date in 1919, a Victory Fair opened in Tucson to celebrate the end of World War I. A squadron of military airplanes flew from San Diego to present an aerial exhibition, and troops of the 10th Cavalry from Fort Huachuca marched in the parade.
Friday, April 6
On this date in 1916, Phoenix Union High School and Globe High School were the first in the state to be accepted by the North Central Association of Accredited Schools and Colleges.
On this date in 1920, the funeral of Robert N. Leatherwood was held. Leatherwood was a former mayor of Tucson and Pima County sheriff. He had helped locate mines in the Quijotoa District, operated a livery stable and planted peach and apple orchards in the Catalina Mountains.
On this date in 1920, Mexican strikers abandoned a freight train loaded with tomatoes 25 miles (40 kilometers) south of Nogales, Mexico, and every truck in the twin towns was requisitioned to salvage the freight and unload it in Nogales, Arizona.
On this date in 1992, Donald Eugene Harding was executed by lethal gas at the state prison in Florence for the 1980 murders of two businessmen in Phoenix. Harding, 43, was the first person executed in the state since Manuel Silvas in 1976 and was the last to be executed while the gas chamber was the official execution method.
Saturday, April 7
On this date in 1913, the State Board of Control ordered that Gov. George W.P. Hunt’s official car be taken from him and announced that he could pay his own transportation or walk just like everyone else.
On this date in 1920, The Arizona Daily Star announced that Lee Parker, trapper for the U.S. Biological Survey, had trapped seven mountain lions in the Canelo Hills near Patagonia. On that same day, another trapper shot four lions in the Catalina Mountains.
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