Arizona is a state brimming with history. From ancient cliff dwellings to Old West gunfight sites, its stories stretch back centuries or millennia.
Here are some of the top historical places in Arizona, some well-known, others less so; all provide an insight into past.
Pueblo Grande Museum
Pueblo Grande Museum & Archaeological Park is a National Historic Landmark that preserves the remains of an ancient Hohokam village that was occupied for more than 1000 years, from approximately 1450 until about 1450. Visitors may stroll among the ruins while viewing artifacts at a small on-site museum.
This 1,500-year-old museum and archaeological site display the creativity of Ancestral Sonoran Desert People through preserved remains such as large platform mounds, ball courts and irrigation canals. Managed by the City of Phoenix, outdoor trails run throughout.
S’edav Va’aki Museum was recently given its new name to honor O’odham culture of the region and recognize historic tribal connections to land, according to a city release. This new title also represents how history and tribal connections play an integral role at this site, according to city documents.
Western Spirit
Western Spirit Outfitter of Outdoor Recreation specializes in mountain bike tours. Additionally, they provide road, gravel and e-bike tours so visitors can discover Scottsdale’s diverse terrain.
Western Spirit CEO Mark Korenblat immediately pointed to their world-class guides as being what sets them apart, which has contributed to their company’s successful expansion. Their commitment to supporting their guides has propelled their business growth.
Established in 2015, this 43,000-square-foot museum features eight exhibition spaces, an 835-seat Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust Theater (with 135 seats), Christine and Ted Mollring Sculpture Courtyard and Sue and Robert Karatz Museum Store – making up its 43,000 square feet – as well as being affiliated with Smithsonian Institution to share authentic Western histories and cultures.
Old Oraibi Ruins
Old Oraibi, located within the Third Mesa on the Hopi Reservation in northeastern Arizona, is North America’s oldest continuously occupied village, established around 1150 A.D. This pueblo houses members of the Hopi tribe who follow an ancestral lifestyle focused on strong family ties and serving one’s community.
Oraibi holds contention with New Mexico’s Acoma Pueblo as being the oldest continuously inhabited town in the United States, dating back to before 1619. Residents in Oraibi faced raids from Navajo warriors as well as encounters with American civil and military men throughout its existence in Oraibi village during this era; nonetheless, Oraibi residents have maintained its traditional lifestyle, refusing to adopt modern culture that can be found nearby Kykotsmovi. Due to this self-imposed information lockdown few archaeological studies have been carried out on Oraibi over its long history.
Pluto Observatory
Clyde Tombaugh used the telescope he used to discover Pluto at Lowell Observatory four miles west of Flagstaff. While famed for their research on Halley’s Comet, Lowell Observatory conducts studies into stars and planets as well.
Tombaugh first identified Planet X near its predicted hiding place using a device known as a blink comparator to detect its movement on two photographic plates. This device superimposed images from two plates onto each other quickly while blinking rapidly between them in order to detect any motion between them and highlight it for detection.
On March 13, 1930, it was officially announced that Pluto had been discovered and named in honour of Roman god of the underworld, who could make himself invisible through magic. This name had been suggested by 11-year-old Venetia Burney of Oxford in England.
Copper Town
As the copper mining boom waned, residents of these towns began organizing societies and museums to document their past. One man devised a plan for a tourism center to honor the area’s rich heritage.
Coppertown USA, now open from June to mid-October, features an exhibition of Sheffield cars – tramcars that four men could lift off its tracks to unload ore – which date back over one hundred years ago.
On display are also the remains of a one-room schoolhouse constructed and funded by local copper miners’ families due to its remoteness and harsh winter climate; busing students was not possible, making this schoolhouse suitable for preschool and kindergarten classes as it no longer required busing services to distant campuses. Furthermore, you’ll see remains from bunkhouses and ore mills here too.
