A Territory in the extreme southwestern portion of the republic, lying on the border of
Mexico.
The region was early known to Spanish explorers.
As early as 1526.
Don Jose Vasconcellos, a follower of
Cortez, crossed the centre of
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200]
this Territory towards the Great Cañon, and the region was afterwards visited by other Spanish explorers.
They then, as we do now, found on the river-banks ruins of cities which seemed to have existed for centuries.
These, with regular fortifications, reservoirs, and canals, show that the country was once inhabited by an enterprising and cultivated people.
There are found walls of solid masonry, usually two stories in height.
It is estimated that fully 100,000 people must have inhabited the
valley of the Gila alone.
Arizona was settled by Spanish missionaries from
Mexico as early as 1687.
These missions were principally seated on the
Lower Colorado and
Gila rivers.
The
Territory formed a part of
Mexico until its purchase by the
United States in 1850.
It was organized into a Territory by act of Congress, Feb. 24, 1863, with its area described as comprising all the “
United States lands west of longitude 109° to the
California line.”
Since then the northwest corner has been ceded to
Nevada.
It is a mountainous region, and some of the northern portion remains unexplored.
Population in 1890, 59,691; in 1900, 122,212.
To one of the pioneer explorers of the
Arizona region the
Zuni Indians gave the following account of their origin as preserved in their traditions.
Their legend relates that in the beginning a race of men sprang up out of the earth, as plants arise and come forth in the spring.
This race increased until they spread over the whole earth, and, after continuing through countless ages, passed away.
The earth then remained without people a great length of time, until at length the sun had compassion on the earth, and sent a celestial maiden to repeople the globe.
This young goddess was called Arizonia, the name signifying “Maiden
Queen.”
This Arizonia dwelt upon the earth a great length of time in lonely solitude, until at a certain time, while basking in the sunbeams, a drop of dew from heaven rested upon arizonia, who in due time blessed the world with twins, a son and a daughter, and these became the father and mother of the
Zuni Indians, and from this tribe arose all other races of men, the
black,
white, olive, and all other clay-colored men being merely apostate offshoots from this original tribe, and the Zunis being the only pure, original stock, children of the sun, now upon the earth.
