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- Arizona History -The word ‘Arizona’ in Arizona history has 3 possible derivations according to historians.  They may have originated from the following: - O’odham (2nd most widely-spoken Native American language in the US) word “ali Son” (meaning small spring) that came from the name of a small town 8 miles from the US-Mexico border, called ‘Arizonac’. History indicates that originally it may have been “ali son” or “ali sona”, pronounced in the O’odham language as an “r”. It was Father Eusebio Francisco Kino’s (1645-1711, a famous Italian missionary and mapmaker who was sent to Christianize the northern parts of Spain that included Arizona) maps that were changed by the Spanish missionaries in the 18th century and renamed 'Arizonac’ to ‘Arizona’. - Spanish words “arida” which means “arid or dry” and “zona” meaning “zone”. - Nahuatl (an Aztecan language recognized as one of the national languages of Mexico) word “arizuma” meaning silver-bearing”. How It Began In 1539, French Franciscan monk Marcos de Niza (1495-1558) explored the area mostly inhabited by the Native American Indians. This was followed by the famous expedition of Francisco Vasquez de Coronado in 1540 as part of Arizona history, with de Niza as his guide, who both arrived in Arizona in search for gold and silver but were disappointed not to discover any treasures.
At the end of the Mexican War in 1848, the United States of America paid the Mexican government and took possession of Arizona. In the Gadsden Purchase of 1853, the US purchased southern Arizona (lands south of Gila River and west of Rio Grande) and what is today, New Mexico. Later, Arizona was organized as a separate US territory on February 24, 1863. In the mid-to-late 19th century, Brigham Young (1801-1877, born in Vermont was the 2nd president of the Church of Latter Day Saints, also regarded as the American Moses by the Mormons) sent Mormons to Arizona and founded the towns of Mesa, Safford, Snowflake and Heber, and settled in Phoenix, Tempe, Prescott and other areas. These settled areas were regarded as Northern Arizona of which the largest ancestry of settlers is German American. The main economy during the early Arizona history was on cotton farming and copper mining that suffered deeply during the Great Depression (a worldwide economic doom from 1929 until the 1930s), but recovered with its tourism industry until the present day. Centering on the ‘Old West’ theme, Wickenburg and Tucson opened saloons and dude ranches, that was followed by several expensive hotels and resorts, most of which still draw tourists this day. The Arizona Baltimore (built 1929) and the Wigwam Resort (built 1936), both in Phoenix, are top tourist destinations to date. During World War II, Arizona was the mark of German and Italian prisoner camps. A Japanese American internment camp (a relocation camp where Japanese and Japanese Americans from the west coast were forcibly interned as security risks) was located in Mount Lemmon, southeast of Tucson. Another prisoner-of-war camp was situated east of Yuma County near the Gila River. After the war, the Maytag family (of the famous Maytag appliances, which is now acquired by Whirlpool Corporation after more than a century’s operation) purchased what is now the Phoenix Zoo site.
Retirement communities were established in the 1960s by developer Del Webb. These age-restricted communities cater strictly to the needs of senior citizens, who usually come from the Midwest and Northeast. Three ships of the United States Navy have carried the name USS Arizona. The 1st iron-hulled side-wheel steamer in 1858 served the American Civil War. The 2nd 3850-ton USS Arizona was launched in 1865 as USS Neshamny and bore the name “Arizona” for 3 months only. It was the 3rd battleship, USS Arizona (BB-39), that was named distinctly to honor the 48th US state. Take a look back at Arizona's history with these memorabilia!  Return from Arizona History to State of Arizona Return from Arizona History to Arizona4Pinoys Home
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Between 1690 and 1710, Father Kino introduced Christianity to the Indians in the southern part of Arizona and northern Sonora (A Mexican state). Spain established presidios (fortified communities) at Tubac in 1752 and Tucson in 1775. At this time in Arizona history, the area was in effect a part of Mexico due to the 1810 Mexican assertion of independence from Spain. 
Subsequently, Arizona’s population experienced an exponential growth, when air conditioning developed and gave a tremendous relief during the summer days. The Secretary of Arizona’s Blue Book states that in 1910, almost 295,000 people inhabited Arizona. By 1970 it has gone up to more than 1.7million residents. The early decades of Arizona history indicated only 20% percentage growth, but grew to about 60% per decade after that.
