Flagstaff

In 1855, then-Lieutenant Beale, surveyed a road from the Rio Grande in New Mexico to Fort Tejon in California, and passed over the present day spot of the city of Flagstaff. His camp was at the eastern extremity of the present city. The lieutenant had his men cut the limbs from a straight pine tree in order to fly the United States flag.

The first recognized permanent settler arrived in 1876. Thomas F. McMillan built a cabin at the base of Mars Hill on the west side of town. During the 1880s, Flagstaff began to grow, opening its first post office and attracting the booming railroad industry. The early economy was primarily involved in timber, sheep and cattle. By 1886, Flagstaff was the largest city on the main line between Albuquerque and the West Coast.

In 1894, Massachusetts astronomer Percival Lowell was in search of clearer skies to observe the stars and planets. He hired A. E. Douglass to scout out an ideal site for the new observatory. After a thorough scouting mission in the Arizona Territory, Douglass identified Flagstaff as the best location for the now famous Lowell Observatory, "other things being equal, the higher we can get the better," (referring to Flagstaff's high elevation). Two years later, the specially-designed 24-inch Clark telescope that Lowell had ordered was installed. Thirty-four years later, Pluto was discovered using one of the observatory’s telescopes. During the Apollo program in the 1960s, the observatory's Clark Telescope was used to create base drawings to map the moon for lunar expeditions, providing astronauts with a good view of their historic landing site.

The city grew quite rapidly, primarily attributable to its location along the east-west transcontinental railroad line in the United States. In the early days, the railroads purchased land in the west from the Federal Government, which was then sold to individuals to help finance the railroad projects. By the 1990s, Flagstaff found itself located along one of the busiest railroad corridors in the U.S., with an estimated 80-100 trains travelling through the city every day, destined for locations such as Chicago, Los Angeles, and elsewhere.

The famous transcontinental highway Route 66 was completed in 1926, with a route running right through Flagstaff. Flagstaff was incorporated as a city in 1928. Flagstaff went on to become a popular tourist stop along Route 66, particularly due to its proximity to the Grand Canyon.

Phoenix

Tucson

Yuma

Flagstaff

Tombstone













Title graphic by Miss Kitty, Graphics Manger
The Wild Frontier