Arizona history-Jan. 2-8
Sunday, Jan. 2
On this date in 1868, the contract was signed for construction of the first Pima County Courthouse.
On this date in 1912, Professor G.E.P. Smith of the Department of Agriculture, University of Arizona, arrived in Douglas to install complete meteorology equipment on the Gadsden Hotel’s roof.
On this date in 1949, James Stuart Douglas — founder of the city of Douglas, founder and first President of the Banks of Bisbee and Douglas, developer of the Verde Extension mining properties near Jerome and father of Lewis W. Douglas, ambassador to Great Britain — died.
Monday, Jan. 3
On this date in 1787, mountaineer Bill Williams was born. The city of Williams and the Bill Williams River were named after him.
On this date in 1912, the Bisbee Daily Review announced that more than 6,000 acres (24.3 square kilometers) of land in the Chino and Lonesome valleys near Prescott had been homesteaded during the previous 90 days.
On this date in 1924, 117 automobiles became stalled in the mud near Casa Grande. The vehicles had to be towed to the Southern Pacific tracks, where they bumped over the ties before reaching a stretch of road they could negotiate.
Tuesday, Jan. 4
On this date in 1883, the Hualapai Indian Reservation was established in Mohave County by Executive Order.
On this date in 1921, Morris Goldwater was elected mayor of Prescott along with his entire slate of candidates for the City Council.
On this date in 1936, the Hadji Ali Monument at Quartzsite, erected on the grave of the Greek camel driver who came to the U.S. in 1857 with the first shipment of camels, was dedicated.
On this date in 1999, Arizona inaugurated five female statewide office holders, including Gov. Jane Hull, making it the first state to have an all-female line of succession.
Wednesday, Jan. 5
On this date in 1904, the Arizona Cattle Growers Association was organized in Phoenix.
On this date in 1908, Goldwater’s Department Store in Phoenix added a shoe department.
On this date in 1921, orders were received by Adj. Gen. Walter S. Ingalls from Washington, D.C., to ship all horses used by cavalry troops of the Arizona National Guard to Carlsbad, New Mexico. All cavalry were to be converted into the 158th Infantry.
On this date in 1936, The Associated Press wire service was established in Phoenix. Two teletypewriters linked Arizona directly for the first time to the worldwide AP network.
On this date in 1964, Gov. Paul Fannin officially opened the University of Arizona’s new solar-powered desalinization plant — the world’s largest in Puerto Penasco, Mexico.
Thursday, Jan. 6
On this date in 1880, Tom Mix, famous early Western movie star who at one time lived in Arizona, was born.
On this date in 1881, a post office was established in Galeyville, a town that became a notorious outlaw hangout. Its leading citizen was Curly Bill Brocius.
On this date in 1894, the Prescott chief of police and the town constable fought a gun duel over an arrest made by the constable. The police chief was shot twice and seriously wounded.
On this date in 1912, the Montezuma Oil Co., in which Buffalo Bill Cody owned a part interest, began drilling operations in a search for oil near Agua Caliente Springs in Maricopa County. Other companies were also exploring near Fort Huachuca and Vail.
On this date in 1975, Raul Castro becomes Arizona’s first Hispanic governor.
Friday, Jan. 7
On this date in 1912, Gov. Richard E. Sloan wrote to the governors of every state in the Union asking each of them to declare that Arizona’s Admission Day be observed as a national holiday.
On this date in 1947, Henry Chee Dodge, the first chairman of the Navajo Tribal Council, died at Sage Memorial Hospital at age 86.
Saturday, Jan. 8
On this date in 1774, Juan Bautista de Anza and Fr. Francisco Garces set out from Tubac with a party of 34 men to establish a route to California. They traveled to Monterey by way of El Camino del Diablo and returned by the Gila River.
On this date in 1906, the Arizona Supreme Court judges wore black robes for the first time.
On this date in 1929, the Lee’s Ferry Bridge was opened across the Colorado River at Marble Canyon.
On this date in 2011, a shooting outside a Tucson supermarket leaves six people dead and 13 others, including Congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords, wounded.