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Marcos de Niza, a Spanish Franciscan
friar, was the first European to explore Arizona. He
entered the area in 1539 in search of the mythical
Seven Cities of Gold. Although he was followed a
year later by another gold seeker, Francisco Vásquez
de Coronado, most of the early settlement was for
missionary purposes. In 1775 the Spanish established
Fort Tucson. In 1848, after the Mexican War, most of
the Arizona territory became part of the U.S., and
the southern portion of the territory was added by
the Gadsden Purchase in 1853.
Arizona history is rich in legends of
America's Old West. It was here that the great
Indian chiefs Geronimo and Cochise led their people
against the frontiersmen. Tombstone, Ariz., was the
site of the West's most famous shoot-out—the
gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Today, Arizona has one
of the largest U.S. Indian populations; more than 14
tribes are represented on 20 reservations.
Manufacturing has become Arizona's
most important industry. Principal products include
electrical, communications, and aeronautical items.
The state produces over half of the country's
copper. Agriculture is also important to the state's
economy. Top commodities are cattle and calves,
dairy products, and cotton. In 1973 one of the
world's most massive dams, the New Cornelia
Tailings, was completed near Ajo.
State attractions include the
Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, the Painted
Desert, Hoover Dam, Lake Mead, Fort Apache, and the
reconstructed London Bridge at Lake Havasu City. |
