Arizona
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. The Rodeo–Chediski Fire began on June 18, 2002, and was not controlled until July 7. It was the worst forest fire in Arizona's recorded history until June 14, 2011 when the Wallow Fire surpassed Rodeo-Chediski as the largest fire in Arizona history. The Rodeo fire was started by a part-time firefighter in need of work; the Chediski fire was started by the signal fire of a stranded motorist. The two fires merged to ultimately consume more than 700 sq mi. Two cousins and their unattended campfire were responsible for the Wallow Fire, which consumed 840 sq mi. In 2008, Arizona senator John McCain won the Republican nomination for U.S. President, ultimately losing to the Democratic ticket of Barack Obama and Joe Biden. At a meet-and-greet in Tucson on Jan. 8, 2011, Arizona democratic congresswoman Gabrielle Giffords was shot in the head by a lone gunman who also killed six others including a 9-year-old girl and a federal judge. Twelve bystanders were wounded. Jared L. Loughner later pleaded guilty to 19 criminal counts and was sentenced to multiple terms of life in prison. 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. See more on Arizona: All U.S. States: Geography & Climate All U.S. States: Population & Economy All U.S. States: Society & Culture:
Selected famous natives and residents:Information Please® Database, © 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. All rights reserved.
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