Timeline of Arizona history facts for kids

This is a timeline of important events in the history of Arizona, a state in the United States. It covers the past and present of the land that is now Arizona.

Arizona's Recent History: 2000s to Today

Arizona in the 2020s

• 2020: On November 3, Arizona voters chose Joe Biden for president. They also elected Mark Kelly as a new U.S. Senator. All nine current U.S. Representatives were re-elected. The Republicans kept control of the Arizona State Legislature.
• 2020: On April 1, the 2020 United States Census counted Arizona's population. It was estimated to be about 7,388,000 people. Arizona might gain a 10th seat in the U.S. House of Representatives because of this growth.

Arizona in the 2010s

• 2019: On January 3, Kyrsten Sinema and Martha McSally started their terms as U.S. Senators for Arizona.
• 2015: On January 5, Doug Ducey became the Governor of Arizona.
• 2013: On June 30, 19 firefighters from the Prescott Fire Department bravely lost their lives fighting the Yarnell Hill Fire.
• 2010: On April 1, the 2010 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 6,392,017. This was a big increase of 24.6% since 2000. Arizona became the 16th most populated U.S. state and gained a 9th Congressional District.

Arizona in the 2000s

• 2009: On January 21, Jan Brewer became the Governor of Arizona. This happened when Governor Janet Napolitano resigned.
• 2008: On November 4, Arizona's U.S. Senator John McCain ran for president but lost to Barack Obama.
• 2003: On March 6, Janet Napolitano became the Governor of Arizona.
• 2001: On January 17, U.S. President Bill Clinton created the Sonoran Desert National Monument. This protects a large desert area.
• 2000: President Bill Clinton created several new national monuments:
  • On November 9, he created Vermilion Cliffs National Monument.
  • On June 9, he created Ironwood Forest National Monument.
  • On January 11, he created Agua Fria National Monument and Grand Canyon–Parashant National Monument.
• 2000: On April 1, the 2000 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 6,392,017. This was a huge 40% increase since 1990. Arizona became the 20th most populated U.S. state and gained two new Congressional Districts: the 7th and 8th.

Arizona's Growth and Development: 1900s

Arizona in the 1990s

• 1997: On September 5, Jane Dee Hull became the Governor of Arizona. She took office after Governor Fife Symington resigned.
• 1994: On August 6, President Bill Clinton signed a law that made Saguaro National Park a national park. Before this, it was a national monument.
• 1991: On March 6, Fife Symington became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1990: On August 6, President George H. W. Bush signed a law creating Tumacácori National Historical Park. This park protects an old Spanish mission.
• 1990: On April 1, the 1990 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 3,665,228. This was a 34.8% increase from 1980. Arizona became the 24th most populated U.S. state and gained a 6th Congressional District.

Arizona in the 1980s

• 1988: On April 4, Rose Mofford became the Governor of Arizona. She took office after Governor Evan Mecham was removed from office.
• 1987: On January 5, Evan Mecham became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1987: On January 3, John McCain became a U.S. Senator for Arizona.
• 1983: On January 1, Arizona created La Paz County from a part of Yuma County.
• 1980: On April 1, the 1980 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 2,718,215. This was a big jump of 55.7% since 1970. Arizona became the 29th most populated U.S. state and gained a 5th Congressional District.

Arizona in the 1970s

• 1978: On March 4, Bruce Babbitt became the Governor of Arizona. He took office after Governor Wesley Bolin passed away.
• 1977: On October 20, Wesley Bolin became the Governor of Arizona. He took office after Governor Raúl Héctor Castro resigned.
• 1975: On January 6, Raúl Héctor Castro became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1975: On January 3, President Gerald Ford signed a law that made Grand Canyon National Park even bigger. It added the Grand Canyon and Marble Canyon National Monuments to the park.
• 1972: On October 21, President Richard Nixon signed a law creating the Hohokam Pima National Monument. This monument protects ancient ruins.
• 1970: On April 1, the 1970 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 1,745,944. This was a 34.1% increase from 1960. Arizona became the 33rd most populated U.S. state and gained a 4th Congressional District.

Arizona in the 1960s

• 1969: On July 25, President Lyndon B. Johnson created the Marble Canyon National Monument.
• 1967: On January 2, Jack Williams became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1965: On August 28, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law to create the Hubbell Trading Post National Historic Site.
• 1965: On January 4, Samuel Pearson Goddard Jr. became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1964: On November 3, Arizona's U.S. Senator Barry Goldwater ran for president but lost to President Lyndon B. Johnson.
• 1964: On July 25, President Lyndon B. Johnson signed a law to create the Fort Bowie National Historic Site.
• 1960: On April 1, the 1960 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 1,302,161. This was a huge 73.7% increase from 1950. Arizona became the 35th most populated U.S. state and gained another Congressional seat. This created the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Congressional Districts.

Arizona in the 1950s

• 1959: On January 5, Paul Fannin became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1958: On October 23, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed a law creating Petrified Forest National Park. It used to be a national monument.
• 1955: On January 3, Ernest McFarland became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1953: On October 23, President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed an order that closed Crook National Forest. Its land was moved to other national forests.
• 1953: On January 3, Barry Goldwater became a U.S. Senator for Arizona.
• 1952: On October 23, President Harry S. Truman signed a law creating Coronado National Memorial.
• 1951: On January 1, John Howard Pyle became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1950: On April 1, the 1950 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 749,587. This was a 50.1% increase from 1940. Arizona became the 37th most populated U.S. state.

Arizona in the 1940s

• 1948: On May 25, Dan Edward Garvey became the Governor of Arizona. He took office after Governor Sidney Preston Osborn passed away.
• 1941: On January 2, Sidney Preston Osborn became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1940: On April 1, the 1940 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 499,261. This was a 14.6% increase from 1930. Arizona remained the 43rd most populated U.S. state but gained a 2nd Congressional seat.

Arizona in the 1930s

• 1939: On July 25, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Tuzigoot National Monument.
• 1939: On January 2, Robert Taylor Jones became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1937: On April 13, President Franklin D. Roosevelt created Organ Pipe Cactus National Monument.
• 1937: On January 4, Rawghlie Clement Stanford became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1934: On October 22, President Franklin D. Roosevelt merged Tusayan National Forest into Prescott National Forest.
• 1933: On March 1, President Herbert Hoover created Saguaro National Monument.
• 1933: On January 2, Benjamin Baker Moeur became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1932: On December 22, President Herbert Hoover created a new Grand Canyon National Monument.
• 1931: On December 22, President Herbert Hoover created Canyon de Chelly National Monument.
• 1931: On January 5, George W.P. Hunt became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1930: On May 26, President Herbert Hoover created Sunset Crater National Monument.
• 1930: On April 7, President Herbert Hoover signed a law that gave Papago Saguaro National Monument to the State of Arizona.
• 1930: On April 1, the 1930 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 435,573. This was a 30.3% increase from 1920. Arizona became the 43rd most populated U.S. state.

Arizona in the 1920s

• 1929: On January 7, John Calhoun Phillips became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1924: On December 9, President Calvin Coolidge created Wupatki National Monument.
• 1924: On June 2, President Calvin Coolidge signed the Indian Citizenship Act of 1924. This law finally gave all Native Americans born in the United States full U.S. Citizenship.
• 1924: On April 18, President Calvin Coolidge created Chiricahua National Monument.
• 1923: On May 31, President Warren G. Harding created Pipe Spring National Monument.
• 1923: On January 1, George W.P. Hunt became the Governor of Arizona again.
• 1920: On April 1, the 1920 United States Census counted Arizona's population as 334,162. This was a 63.5% increase from 1910. Arizona became the 45th most populated U.S. state.

Arizona in the 1910s: Becoming a State!

• 1919: On February 26, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law creating Grand Canyon National Park. It had been a national monument before this.
• 1919: On January 6, Thomas Edward Campbell became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1918: On August 3, President Woodrow Wilson created Casa Grande Ruins National Monument.
• 1917: On December 25, George W.P. Hunt became the Governor of Arizona again after a court decision.
• 1917: On June 6, President Woodrow Wilson merged Chiricahua National Forest into Coronado National Forest.
• 1917: On January 1, Thomas Edward Campbell became the Governor of Arizona.
• 1916: On August 25, President Woodrow Wilson signed a law to create the National Park Service. This agency manages all U.S. national parks and monuments.
• 1915: On January 31, President Woodrow Wilson created Walnut Canyon National Monument.
• 1914: On September 10, President Woodrow Wilson merged Zuni National Forest into Manzano National Forest.
• 1914: On January 10, President Woodrow Wilson created Papago Saguaro National Monument.
• 1912: February 14: Arizona becomes a state!
  • George W.P. Hunt became the first Governor of the State of Arizona.
  • President William Howard Taft signed a special paper called a proclamation. This made the Territory of Arizona the State of Arizona, the 48th state in the U.S.
• 1911: On June 28, President William Howard Taft merged Garces National Forest into Coronado National Forest.
• 1910: On June 28, President William Howard Taft created Tusayan National Forest.
• 1910: On June 20, President William Howard Taft signed a law that allowed the people of Arizona to create a state government and join the U.S.
• 1910: On April 1, the 1910 United States Census counted the population of the Arizona Territory as 204,354. This was a 66.2% increase from 1900. Arizona became the second most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona in the 1900s

• 1909: On September 15, President William Howard Taft created Navajo National Monument.
• 1909: On May 1, President William Howard Taft appointed Richard Elihu Sloan as the last Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1909: On March 10, Arizona created Greenlee County from a part of Graham County.
• 1909: On March 2, President Theodore Roosevelt created Zuni National Forest.
• 1908: On September 15, President Theodore Roosevelt created Tumacacori National Monument.
• 1908: On July 2, President Theodore Roosevelt made several changes to national forests:
  • He created Kaibab National Forest, which included the Grand Canyon National Forest.
  • He created Coronado National Forest, which included other forest reserves.
  • He created Garces National Forest, which included other forest reserves.
  • He merged Verde National Forest into Prescott National Forest.
  • He created Coconino National Forest, which included San Francisco Mountains National Forest.
• 1908: On July 1, President Theodore Roosevelt also made more changes to national forests:
  • He created Crook National Forest, which included Mount Graham National Forest.
  • He created Apache National Forest.
  • He created Sitgreaves National Forest.
• 1908: On January 13, President Theodore Roosevelt merged Pinal Mountains National Forest into Tonto National Forest.
• 1908: On January 11, President Theodore Roosevelt created Grand Canyon National Monument.
• 1907: On December 30, President Theodore Roosevelt created Verde National Forest.
• 1907: On December 19, President Theodore Roosevelt created Tonto National Monument.
• 1907: On May 25, President Theodore Roosevelt created Dragoon National Forest.
• 1906: On December 8, President Theodore Roosevelt created Montezuma Castle National Monument and Petrified Forest National Monument. These were the first National Monuments in Arizona.
• 1906: On November 7, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Tumacacori Forest Reserve.
• 1906: On November 6, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Huachuca Forest Reserve.
• 1906: On November 5, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Baboquivari Forest Reserve.
• 1906: On August 8, President Theodore Roosevelt changed the name of the Grand Cañon Forest Reserve to the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve.
• 1906: On June 8, President Theodore Roosevelt signed the Antiquities Act of 1906. This law gave the President the power to create national monuments on federal lands to protect important natural or historical places.
• 1905: On October 3, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Tonto Forest Reserve.
• 1905: On March 20, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Pinal Mountains Forest Reserve.
• 1905: On March 7, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Joseph Henry Kibbey as the 16th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1902: On July 30, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Chiricahua Forest Reserve.
• 1902: On July 22, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Mount Graham Forest Reserve.
• 1902: On July 2, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Santa Catalina Forest Reserve.
• 1902: On July 1, President Theodore Roosevelt appointed Alexander Oswald Brodie as the 15th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1902: On April 11, President Theodore Roosevelt created the Santa Rita Forest Reserve.
• 1900: On April 1, the 1900 United States Census counted the population of the Arizona Territory as 122,931. This was a 39.3% increase from 1890. Arizona became the fourth most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona's Early Years as a Territory: 1800s

Arizona in the 1890s

• 1899: On March 15, Arizona created Santa Cruz County from parts of Cochise County and Pima County.
• 1898: On December 10, the U.S. and Spain signed the Treaty of Paris to end the Spanish–American War.
• 1898: On August 17, President William McKinley created the Black Mesa Forest Reserve and the San Francisco Mountains Forest Reserve.
• 1898: On August 12, the U.S. and Spain signed a peace agreement.
• 1898: On August 1, President William McKinley appointed Oakes Murphy as the 14th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1898: On May 10, President William McKinley created the Prescott Forest Reserve.
• 1898: On April 23, Spain declared war on the U.S. The U.S. declared war two days later.
• 1897: On July 29, President William McKinley appointed Myron H. McCord as the 13th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1896: On April 18, President Grover Cleveland appointed Benjamin Joseph Franklin as the 12th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1895: On March 21, Arizona created Navajo County from a part of Apache County.
• 1893: On April 12, President Grover Cleveland appointed L.C. Hughes as the 11th Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1893: On February 20, President Benjamin Harrison created the Grand Canyon Forest Reserve, the first National Forest in Arizona.
• 1892: On May 11, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Oakes Murphy as the tenth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1891: On March 3, President Benjamin Harrison signed the Forest Reserve Act of 1891. This law gave the President the power to create protected national forests on federal lands.
• 1891: On February 18, Arizona created Coconino County from a part of Yavapai County.
• 1891: On January 21, President Benjamin Harrison appointed John N. Irwin as the ninth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1890: On April 1, the 1890 United States Census counted the population of the Arizona Territory as 88,243. This was a huge 218.2% increase from 1880. Arizona became the fifth most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona in the 1880s

• 1889: On April 8, President Benjamin Harrison appointed Lewis Wolfley as the eighth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1889: On March 2, President Grover Cleveland created the Casa Grande Ruin Reservation.
• 1885: On November 2, President Grover Cleveland appointed C. Meyer Zulick as the seventh Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1882: On March 8, President Chester A. Arthur appointed Frederick Augustus Tritle as the sixth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1881: On March 10, Arizona created Graham County from parts of Apache County and Pima County.
• 1881: On February 8, Arizona created Gila County from parts of Maricopa County and Pinal County.
• 1881: On February 1, Arizona created Cochise County from a part of Pima County.
• 1880: On April 1, the 1880 United States Census counted the population of the Arizona Territory as 40,440. This was a massive 418.7% increase from 1870. Arizona became the fifth most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona in the 1870s

• 1879: On February 24, Arizona created Apache County from a part of Yavapai County.
• 1878: On October 6, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed John C. Frémont as the fifth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1877: On July 9, President Rutherford B. Hayes appointed John Philo Hoyt as the fourth Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1875: On February 1, Arizona created Pinal County from parts of Maricopa County and Pima County.
• 1871: On February 18, Arizona removed Pah-Ute County and added its remaining land to Mohave County.
• 1871: On February 14, Arizona created Maricopa County from parts of Pima County and Yavapai County.
• 1870: On April 1, the 1870 United States Census counted the population of the Arizona Territory as 9,658. Arizona became the eighth most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona in the 1860s: The Territory is Formed!

• 1869: On July 9, President Ulysses S. Grant appointed Anson P.K. Safford as the third Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1867: On January 18, the State of Nevada took the part of the Territory of Arizona that was west of the 37th meridian and the Colorado River. This made Arizona's borders the same as they are today.
• 1866: On July 9, President Andrew Johnson appointed Richard Cunningham McCormick as the second Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1865: On December 22, Arizona created Pah-Ute County from a part of Mohave County.
• 1865: On May 9, President Andrew Johnson announced the end of the American Civil War.
• 1864: On November 9, the Arizona Territory created its first four counties: Mohave County, Pima County, Yavapai County, and Yuma County.
• 1863: On December 29, President Abraham Lincoln appointed John Noble Goodwin as the first Governor of the Arizona Territory.
• 1863: February 24: The Arizona Territory is created! President Abraham Lincoln signed a law to create the Territory of Arizona. It was formed from the western part of the New Mexico Territory. The new Arizona Territory included all of what is now Arizona, plus a part of present-day Nevada.
• 1862: On July 27, the United States Army built Fort Bowie near Apache Pass.
• 1862: In July, Texas cavalry soldiers left Arizona and went back to Texas.
• 1862: On June 19, President Abraham Lincoln signed a law that freed all enslaved people in U.S. territories.
• 1862: On April 15, California cavalry fought Texas cavalry in the Battle of Picacho Pass. This was the westernmost battle of the American Civil War.
• 1862: On February 28, Texas cavalry soldiers took control of Tucson.
• 1862: On February 24, Confederate President Jefferson Davis declared that the southern part of the New Mexico Territory was now the Confederate Territory of Arizona.
• 1862: In February, the California Column (a group of Union soldiers) left Fort Yuma and moved into the New Mexico Territory.
• 1861: On July 25, Texas cavalry soldiers invaded the New Mexico Territory and took over the town of Mesilla.
• 1861: On April 12, the American Civil War began with the Battle of Fort Sumter.
• 1861: On March 4, Abraham Lincoln became the 16th President of the United States.
• 1861: On February 28, President James Buchanan signed a law creating the Colorado Territory. This territory took the northern part of the New Mexico Territory. The New Mexico Territory now included all of what would become Arizona and New Mexico, plus a part of present-day Nevada.
• 1861: On February 8, seven southern states that allowed slavery formed the Confederate States of America.
• 1860: On November 6, Abraham Lincoln was elected President of the United States. Seven states that allowed slavery would leave the U.S. before February 8, 1861.
• 1860: On April 1, the 1860 United States Census counted the population of the New Mexico Territory as 93,516. This was a 51.9% increase from 1850. New Mexico became the second most populated U.S. territory.

Arizona in the 1850s

• 1858: In September, the Overland Mail Company made Tucson its main office for its third division.
• 1857: In August, the San Antonio–San Diego Mail Line stagecoach route reached Tucson.
• 1854: On June 8, the Gadsden Purchase officially happened. This created the current border between the United States and Mexico. The New Mexico Territory now included all of what would become Arizona and New Mexico, plus parts of present-day Nevada and Colorado.
• 1852: On January 9, the New Mexico Territory created nine original counties. Two of these, Doña Ana County and Socorro County, extended into the future State of Arizona.
• 1851: On September 18, Colonel Edwin Vose Sumner built Fort Defiance. This was the first U.S. military post in the area that would become Arizona.
• 1850: On September 9, the New Mexico Territory and the Utah Territory were created as part of the Compromise of 1850. President Millard Fillmore signed the law for the New Mexico Territory. This territory included most of what would become Arizona and New Mexico, plus parts of present-day Colorado and Nevada.
• 1850: On April 1, the 1850 United States Census counted the population of the future New Mexico Territory for the first time. It was 61,547 people.

Early European Exploration and Claims: Before 1850

Arizona in the 1840s

• 1848: On February 2, the U.S. and Mexico signed the Treaty of Guadalupe Hidalgo to end the Mexican–American War. Mexico gave up its northern lands. All the land in the future State of Arizona north of the new Mexican border became U.S. territory.
• 1846: On September 22, the Mormon Battalion occupied Tucson.
• 1846: On August 18, U.S. troops took control of Santa Fe with little fighting.
• 1846: On May 13, the United States declared war on Mexico.

Arizona in the 1820s

• 1821: On August 24, Ferdinand VII of Spain signed a treaty recognizing that Mexico was now an independent country.

Arizona in the 1810s

• 1810: On August 1, Mexican priest Miguel Hidalgo started the fight for Mexico's independence from Spain.

Arizona in the 1780s

• 1783: On September 3, the Treaty of Paris was signed. This treaty officially recognized the independence of the United States and set the Mississippi River as its western border.

Arizona in the 1770s

• 1776: On July 29, a Spanish expedition led by priests Francisco Atanasio Domínguez and Silvestre Vélez de Escalante explored northwest from Santa Fe. They reached the lower Paria River in what would become Arizona before returning.
• 1776: On July 4, representatives from the thirteen American colonies signed the Declaration of Independence from Great Britain.

Arizona in the 1590s

• 1598: On July 12, Juan de Oñate established the Spanish colony of Santa Fe de Nuevo Méjico (New Mexico) at the village of San Juan de los Caballeros.

Arizona in the 1540s

• 1540: On July 7, a military expedition led by Francisco Vázquez de Coronado reached the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh. The Zuni people fought back, but the Spanish soldiers won.
• 1540: On February 23, Francisco Vázquez de Coronado, the Governor of Nueva Galicia, led a large Spanish military expedition from Compostela, Mexico. He was looking for the legendary Seven Cities of Cibola.

Arizona in the 1530s

• 1539: In September, Marcos de Niza returned from his journey after seeing the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh from a distance. His exciting reports about Hawikuh inspired Coronado's expedition.
• 1539: In March, Estevanico (an African explorer) and Marcos de Niza began their search for the Seven Cities of Cibola. Estevanico was the first African and Marcos de Niza was the first European to visit the area that would become Arizona. Estevanico was killed at the Zuni pueblo of Hawikuh.
• 1536: In July, four survivors of the Narváez expedition arrived in Mexico City. Their stories about their travels led to tales of the Seven Cities of Cibola.
• 1535: The four survivors of the Narváez expedition (including Álvar Núñez Cabeza de Vaca and Estevanico) may have traveled through the southern part of what would become Arizona.

Arizona in the 1510s

• 1513: On September 29, Spanish explorer Vasco Núñez de Balboa crossed the Isthmus of Panama and reached the Pacific Ocean. He claimed this ocean and all the lands next to it for the Queen of Castile. This claim included all of the future State of Arizona.

Arizona in the 1490s

• 1493: On May 5, Pope Alexander VI issued a special order that divided the non-Christian world into two halves. The western half, including all of North America, was given to the Queen of Castile and the King of Aragon for exploration and conquest. The indigenous peoples of the Americas living there had no idea this was happening.
• 1492: On October 12, Christopher Columbus, leading an expedition for Queen Isabella I of Castile, landed on the island of Guanahani, which he renamed San Salvador. This marked the beginning of Spanish exploration and conquest in the Americas.

Before 1492: Ancient Arizona

• Around 12,000 BCE: During a long period of warming, ancient people called Paleoamericans began to move throughout the Americas. They used an ice-free path along the Rocky Mountains.