Sunday, Feb. 28
On this date in 1856, Solomon Warner arrived in Tucson from Yuma with a train of 13 mules loaded with merchandise for Tucson’s first general store.
On this date in 1859, the first Indian reservation in Arizona was established on the Gila River for the Pima and Maricopa Indians.
On this date in 1925, Phoenix celebrated the opening of the Phoenix-Yuma-Imperial Valley Highway.
On this date in 2009, Paul Harvey, the news commentator and talk-radio pioneer whose staccato style made him one of the nation’s most familiar voices, dies at age 90 at a Phoenix hospital.
Monday, March 1
On this date in 1877, the Arizona Star began publication in Tucson as The Bulletin.
On this date in 1911, the Southern Belle Mines Co. was incorporated with Col. William “Buffalo Bill” Cody as one of the incorporators. The company, capitalized at $1 million, was expected to take over Cody’s Campo Bonito property near Oracle.
On this date in 1913, Tucson’s mayor complained to police about stray horses grazing in his front yard. Long-suffering city residents frequently found cattle, burros and horses browsing in the lawns at night.
On this date in 1933, the Saguaro Cactus Forest outside Tucson was set aside as a national monument by President Herbert Hoover.
Tuesday, March 2
On this date in 1889, the Atlantic & Pacific train was held up in Canyon Diablo, 26 miles (42 kilometers) west of Winslow, and the express box was stolen. Sheriff Bucky O’Neill captured the bandits in Utah a few weeks later.
On this date in 1909, the Navajo National Monument, including Keet Seel and Betatakin, was established.
On this date in 1911, a Phoenix women’s club met to discuss a clean-up campaign in anticipation of a visit by Col. Theodore Roosevelt.
On this date in 1914, the first electric lights were turned on in Safford.
Wednesday, March 3
On this date in 1757, San Cosme de Tucson was established on the west bank of the Santa Cruz River by Father Bernard Middendorf. No trace of the large mission ruin remains today.
On this date in 1859, the first newspaper in the state, the Weekly Arizonian, was published in Tubac.
On this date in 1865, the Colorado River Indian Reservation was established for the Hualupais, Yavapais and other tribes along the Colorado River.
On this date in 1877, Congress passed the Desert Land Act, permitting settlers to get title to 610 acres (2.5 square kilometers) of desert land provided they would irrigate it within three years.
On this date in 1908, the town of Florence was incorporated.
On this date in 1911, Congress appropriated $90,000 for construction of a bridge across the Little Colorado River near Cameron.
On this date in 1913, troops from the 9th U.S. Cavalry fought a 30-minute battle with Mexican troops on the border near Agua Prieta. Four Mexican soldiers were killed and an estimated 4,000 shots were fired.
Thursday, March 4
On this date in 1863, President Abraham Lincoln appointed John A. Gurley to be territorial governor.
On this date in 1867, Camp Crittenden, named after Gen. Thomas L. Crittenden, was established in the Sonoita Valley.
On this date in 1872, the first public school in Tucson opened with John Spring employed as the first teacher.
On this date in 1911, The Arizona Republic reported a raid on the Chinatown district of Phoenix which uncovered four opium dens in full operation. Eleven opium pipes were confiscated, including one of cactus wood with inlaid mother-of-pearl.
On this date in 1930, Coolidge Dam was dedicated, although the lake had not filled up high enough to cover the grass. Humorist Will Rogers, guest speaker at the dedication, said that if it was his lake, he would have mowed it.
On this date in 1978, Gov. Wesley Bolin died just three after succeeding Raul Castro. Bruce Babbitt was sworn in and became as the state’s third governor over the past four and a half months.
Friday, March 5
On this date in 1918, the town of Miami was incorporated.
On this date in 1922, the Tucson Citizen reported that commercial organizations throughout northeastern Arizona were vigorously protesting the government order that Fort Apache be abandoned.
Sunday, March 6
On this date in 1923, the record of appeal in the case of the Iron Cap Copper Co. against the Arizona Commercial Mining Co., both located in the Copper Hill District at Globe, was delivered to Superior Court. The record weighed more than 1000 pounds (453 kilograms) and was delivered by an express company.
On this date in 1926, a violent hailstorm hit Tucson, dropping temperatures 16 degrees in 20 minutes.
Please read our comment policy before commenting.