Seligman, Arizona facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Seligman, Arizona
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Welcome sign
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Location in Yavapai County within the state of Arizona
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 Seligman, Arizona
Location in Arizona
Seligman, Arizona
Location in the United States
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| Country | United States |
| State | Arizona |
| County | Yavapai |
| Area | |
| • Total | 6.42 sq mi (16.62 km2) |
| • Land | 6.42 sq mi (16.62 km2) |
| • Water | 0.00 sq mi (0.00 km2) |
| Elevation | 5,242 ft (1,598 m) |
| Population
(2020)
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| • Total | 446 |
| • Density | 69.52/sq mi (26.84/km2) |
| Time zone | UTC−7 (MST) |
| ZIP code |
86337
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| Area code(s) | 928 |
| FIPS code | 04-65420 |
| GNIS feature ID | 11070 |
Seligman (Havasupai: Thavgyalyal) is a small community in northwestern Arizona, United States. It's located on the northern edge of Yavapai County. In 2020, about 446 people lived there. Seligman is famous for being an important stop on the historic U.S. Route 66.
Contents
Exploring Seligman's Location
Seligman is found at an elevation of about 5,240 feet (1,597 meters) above sea level. It sits next to the Big Chino Wash, which is a stream that flows into the Verde River. The community covers an area of about 6.4 square miles (16.6 square kilometers), and all of it is land.
A Look Back at Seligman's History
The area where Seligman is now was once home to the Havasupai people. The town site was also part of old travel routes like Beale's Wagon Road and the Mojave Road.
How Seligman Got Its Name
Seligman was first called "Prescott Junction." This was because it was a train stop where the Santa Fe mainline connected to a smaller railway line going to Prescott. The Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway (AT&SF) reached the area in 1882. In 1886, the town was renamed Seligman. It was named after Jesse Seligman, a New York banker who helped fund the railroads in the area.
Seligman became a big train yard with many tracks because of its flat land. It was also a major place for shipping livestock from nearby ranches. Train crews would often change here, and they had cottages in town for overnight stays.
The Havasu Harvey House
The "Havasu House" was a hotel and restaurant in Seligman. It was part of the Fred Harvey Company, which built hotels along railway lines. The name "Havasu" came from the local Havasupai tribe. This Harvey House opened in 1905 but closed in 1954 and was later taken down in 2008.
Passenger trains stopped coming to Seligman in 1984. Today, the Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway owns the tracks, and many freight trains use them. The old Santa Fe Reading Room, a place where train workers could relax and read, is now located at Seligman High School.
Seligman and Historic Route 66
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Seligman Commercial Historic District
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The historic Seligman Sundries building located in the district
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| Location | Roughly bounded by First and Lamport streets and Picacho and Railroad avenues, Seligman, Arizona |
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| Area | 18 acres (7.3 ha) |
| Built | ca. 1903 |
| Architectural style | Early Commercial, Prairie School, etc. |
| NRHP reference No. | 04000511 |
| Added to NRHP | February 1, 2005 |
The Seligman Commercial Historic District is a special area in central Seligman. It's located along the famous Route 66, which Arizona named a historic highway in 1978. This district was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2005.
Seligman was part of the original U.S. Route 66 from 1926 until 1978. That's when Interstate 40 was built, bypassing the town. Seligman became very popular after World War II. Many people traveled the country, making the Southwest a top tourist spot. The historic district protects old commercial buildings from the early 1900s along Historic Route 66.
In 1987, Seligman earned the title "Birthplace of Historic Route 66." This happened because local residents worked hard to convince Arizona to make Route 66 a historic highway. Seligman is the first stop when you head west on the longest continuous part of historic Route 66, which stretches about 160 miles (257 km) to Topock.
Historic Buildings in Seligman
Here are some of the important buildings in the Seligman Commercial Historic District and along Historic Route 66:
- The Snow Cap Drive-In was built in 1953 by Juan Delgadillo and his family. Juan used old wood he found while working for the Santa Fe Railway.
- The Shell Gas Station, also known as Olson's Shell or The Road Trip Museum, was built in 1961. It was once a bus stop for Greyhound.
- Miller's Dry Cleaners (now The Rusty Bolt) was built in 1933. It has been a dry cleaner, a restaurant, a hardware store, and a gift shop.
- The Thunderbird Indian Store (also part of The Rusty Bolt) was built in 1955. It later joined with the old Miller's Dry Cleaning building.
- The Copper Cart was built in 1952. It used to be a classic diner but is now a store.
- Pioneer Hall Theatre (now Historic Seligman Sundries) was built in 1905 as a theater and dance hall. In 1930, it became a drug store with a soda fountain. Today, it's a coffee house and gift shop.
- The Black Cat Bar was rebuilt in 1963. It was once called "Jolly's Black Cat Café."
- The Pitts & Washington Central Commercial building was built in 1903. It has been a variety store and an antique stove shop.
- The Canyon Shadows Motel (now Canyon Lodge) was built in 1963 and has changed names several times.
- Donovan's Garage / Texaco Station was built in 1936. It has been a car dealership and an auto repair shop.
- The Aztec Motel had its original building constructed in 1935, with additions made in 1955.
- The Atchison, Topeka & Santa Fe Railway Company reading room was built in 1899. It is now on the grounds of Seligman High School.
- The Cottage Hotel was built in 1910 and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
- The Sheriff Commodore Perry Owens house and bar belonged to a famous lawman and gunfighter from the Old West. He lived in Seligman after he retired.
The Seligman Depot and "Jail"
At the west end of town, there's a set of fake old western buildings called "Seligman Depot." They look like a livery, a dentist's office, a hotel, a gun shop, and a bank. There are no real businesses inside them.
Next to these buildings is a log cabin with "JAIL" painted on it. A sign says it's the "1860 Arizona Territorial Jail" and claims famous outlaws were held there. It even says four Native Americans escaped from it. However, these buildings are not real historical sites. They were built by the owners of the Roadkill Cafe to attract tourists. Arizona Territory didn't exist until 1863, and Seligman itself wasn't founded until 1886. The stories about the outlaws and escapes are also made up.
People Who Live in Seligman
| Historical population | |||
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| Census | Pop. | %± | |
| 2000 | 456 | — | |
| 2010 | 445 | −2.4% | |
| 2020 | 446 | 0.2% | |
| U.S. Decennial Census | |||
In 2000, there were 456 people living in Seligman. There were 205 households, and 121 of them were families. About 29% of households had children under 18. The average household had 2.2 people.
The population was spread out by age: 27% were under 18, and 19% were 65 or older. The average age was 41 years. The median income for a household was about $23,833.
Learning in Seligman
Seligman has its own school district, the Seligman Unified School District.
The sports teams at Seligman High School are called the Antelopes, and their colors are red, white, and black. The basketball team won the state championship in 2006. The baseball team has also done very well, reaching the state championship final game for three years in a row.
Seligman in Movies and Books
The town of Radiator Springs in Pixar's Cars movies was inspired by Seligman. When the director, John Lasseter, was researching for the movie, he met a barber in Seligman named Angel Delgadillo. Angel told him how traffic disappeared from the town when the new Interstate 40 opened.
Angel's brother, Juan, opened Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In in 1953. This restaurant became a very famous roadside stop. Michael Wallis, an author and historian of Route 66, wrote about the restaurant in his book, Route 66: The Mother Road.
Seligman's Weather
Seligman has a cold semi-arid climate. This means it's generally dry, but not a true desert, and it can get cold.
| Climate data for Seligman, Arizona (1991–2020 normals, extremes 1904–present) | |||||||||||||
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| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °F (°C) | 79 (26) |
78 (26) |
90 (32) |
92 (33) |
99 (37) |
107 (42) |
164 (73) |
106 (41) |
104 (40) |
93 (34) |
85 (29) |
75 (24) |
99 (37) |
| Mean maximum °F (°C) | 66.8 (19.3) |
69.8 (21.0) |
76.2 (24.6) |
83.9 (28.8) |
91.3 (32.9) |
99.6 (37.6) |
101.9 (38.8) |
98.8 (37.1) |
93.9 (34.4) |
86.2 (30.1) |
76.5 (24.7) |
66.9 (19.4) |
103.0 (39.4) |
| Mean daily maximum °F (°C) | 53.9 (12.2) |
57.4 (14.1) |
64.0 (17.8) |
70.8 (21.6) |
79.3 (26.3) |
89.9 (32.2) |
92.8 (33.8) |
90.7 (32.6) |
85.3 (29.6) |
75.0 (23.9) |
63.0 (17.2) |
53.1 (11.7) |
72.9 (22.7) |
| Daily mean °F (°C) | 38.9 (3.8) |
41.3 (5.2) |
46.6 (8.1) |
52.3 (11.3) |
60.1 (15.6) |
69.2 (20.7) |
75.1 (23.9) |
73.4 (23.0) |
67.2 (19.6) |
56.6 (13.7) |
46.0 (7.8) |
38.0 (3.3) |
55.4 (13.0) |
| Mean daily minimum °F (°C) | 23.8 (−4.6) |
25.3 (−3.7) |
29.1 (−1.6) |
33.8 (1.0) |
40.8 (4.9) |
48.5 (9.2) |
57.4 (14.1) |
56.2 (13.4) |
49.0 (9.4) |
38.2 (3.4) |
29.0 (−1.7) |
22.9 (−5.1) |
37.8 (3.2) |
| Mean minimum °F (°C) | 8.4 (−13.1) |
12.5 (−10.8) |
18.1 (−7.7) |
22.6 (−5.2) |
29.6 (−1.3) |
38.0 (3.3) |
47.7 (8.7) |
47.5 (8.6) |
37.6 (3.1) |
25.7 (−3.5) |
14.1 (−9.9) |
9.2 (−12.7) |
4.5 (−15.3) |
| Record low °F (°C) | −18 (−28) |
−12 (−24) |
3 (−16) |
10 (−12) |
14 (−10) |
26 (−3) |
33 (1) |
34 (1) |
26 (−3) |
12 (−11) |
−5 (−21) |
−17 (−27) |
−18 (−28) |
| Average precipitation inches (mm) | 1.10 (28) |
1.15 (29) |
0.96 (24) |
0.47 (12) |
0.34 (8.6) |
0.24 (6.1) |
1.83 (46) |
2.14 (54) |
1.22 (31) |
1.04 (26) |
0.68 (17) |
0.88 (22) |
12.05 (303.7) |
| Average snowfall inches (cm) | 3.0 (7.6) |
2.1 (5.3) |
1.2 (3.0) |
0.4 (1.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.0 (0.0) |
0.1 (0.25) |
0.9 (2.3) |
2.1 (5.3) |
9.8 (25) |
| Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in) | 4.0 | 4.4 | 3.9 | 2.2 | 2.4 | 1.3 | 7.3 | 7.3 | 4.3 | 3.1 | 2.1 | 4.0 | 46.3 |
| Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in) | 1.5 | 1.3 | 0.8 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 5.7 |
| Source: NOAA | |||||||||||||
Famous People from Seligman
- Commodore Perry Owens – A famous lawman and gunfighter from the Old West.
- Georgie Sicking – A western rancher and cowboy poet. She is a member of the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame and was born in Seligman in 1921.
Images for kids
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Beale Wagon Road Trail Marker
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Havasu Harvey House, the former Seligman Harvey House (1905−2008)
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Aztec Motel – 1955
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Black Cat Bar – 1935
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Canyon Lodge – 1963
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Copper Cart – 1952
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Donovan's 1-Stop Garage (B&B Auto) – 1936
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Miller's Dry Cleaners – 1933
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Pitts General Merchandise Store and U.S. Post Office – 1903
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Seligman U.S. Post Office – 1903
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Roadkill Restaurant-OK Saloon – 1940
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Seligman Grocery – 1903
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Seligman Sundries – 1905
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Shell Gas Station (Return to the 50s) – 1966
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Sno Cap Drive In – 1953
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Supai Motel – 1962
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The Rusty Bolt – 1955
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Cottage Hotel – 1912
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Seligman Bandshell Gazebo on Route 66 – 1900
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Commodore Perry Owens House – c. 1890
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Commodore Perry Owens Saloon – c. 1890
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Historic 1953 Chrysler New Yorker Police car in Seligman
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-1966.jpg)
See also
In Spanish: Seligman (Arizona) para niños
