Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery - La Paz County Historical Landmark

The La Paz County Historical Commission designated Ehrenberg Pioneer Cemetery as a historical landmark.

If you missed yesterday's post, here is a brief romantic history of the ghost town Ehrenberg, Arizona. http://arizonahistoryblog.blogspot.com/2014/08/ghost-town-ehrenberg-arizona-romantic.html

Please enjoy this video tour of the sleepy little cemetery.

Confederate Arizona

The words "Civil War" evoke images of Gettysburg, the clash between the North and South, and grey and blue uniforms. In school we learned that southern states seceded from the Union. But did you know that for short time Arizona was part of the Confederate States?

According to the Arizona History timeline at the the Arizona Governor's website, Arizona became part of the confederacy in 1862. The website reports the "Battle at Picacho Pass, near Casa Grande, [Arizona] is considered the westernmost battle of the Civil War.." 

Although the Battle at Picacho Pass was the westernmost battle, how far south did the Confederacy in Arizona? According to an 1879 San Francisco Bulletin correspondent report: Tubac: 

"In 1862, and this is not known to many, a company of so-called Confederate soldiers took possession of Tubac, (and I think there was a Confederate garrison at Tucson for a while) and raised the flag of the de facto government which had its headquarters in Richmond. This company of men made it warm for the Apaches, under the wily and brave Cochise, and killed a good many of them. During the latter part of 1862, a regiment of Union soldiers arrived at Tucson (and the present Mayor of Tucson, now worth $100,000, was an officer in said regiment,) and the Confederate garrison at Tubac was at once abandoned. Upon the departure of these troops, what people had located also departed, and Tubac was again left without an inhabitant, the overland stages and all other travel had been drawn off, grass had grown up in the streets, and all of the adobe houses crumbled into ruins."

Although there are differing accounts regarding if or when the town of Tubac was abandoned, one thing is certain, its' Confederate history will not be forgotten. 

For more information regarding the Confederacy in Arizona visit:

http://www.civilwar.org/battlefields/picachopeak.html

Sources:

Arizona Sentinel, March 22, 1879

AZgovernor.gov

Flag: By William Porcher Miles (1822-1899) (Vector graphics image by Crotalus horridus)         This vector image was created with Inkscape. (SVG adapted from this image) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

Altagracia de Otero and the Yuma Territorial Prison

Life inside the dark rock women's cell at the Yuma Territorial Prison was not easy, even for a man. The women incarcerated at the prison were an eclectic bunch. Murderers and a stage coach robber were held inside the rock cell.

By modern standards, there were lesser crimes that landed one woman in the cell. Her name was Altagracia de Otero. She was convicted of selling whiskey to Indians. One pint each, two separate offenses. Her crime was punishable by 60 days in prison.

[Image: inside of the Yuma Territorial Prison Women's Rock Cell]

An article by Jay Eby reported that H. M. Van Arman - the defacto interim governor of the Territory of Arizona - pardoned Altagracia. The pardon occurred after Altagracia spent many sleepless nights inside the cell's dark quarters. According to Eby, there is no record for Van Arman's authority as governor. Her pardon remains a mystery.

Altagracia was the oldest woman to ever serve time at the Arizona Territorial Prison.

[Image: view looking out from inside the Women's Rock Cell at the Yuma Territorial Prison]

Sources:
Chronicling America. The Arizona Sentinel. October 23, 1886.
Prescottcorral.org., John Gosper, Arizona’s Would-be Governor
by Jay W. Eby. http://prescottcorral.org/TT11/11pages21-24.pdf
Photographs by Diana DeLugan

#Yuma Territorial Prison, #Otero, #Arizona History

The Name "Arizona"

A lot of debate exists regarding the origin of the name "Arizona." Some scholars claim the name was derived from Spanish/Basque or Tohono O'odham/Pima languages.*  Another colorful definition from 1877 states:

"'The earth is the offspring of the sky. Long prior to the present race of men, the earth was peopled by a race of giants who in time died off, leaving the earth uninhabited. After a long time, a celestial virgin, a child of one of the thirteen great deities who rule all things, came down to the earth, and being well pleased, remained for a long time its sole inhabitant. Once when in a deep sleep, a drop of dew from heaven fell on her, and she conceived and bore two children, a son and daughter, from whom have sprung all the people of the earth. The name of this celestial virgin was Arizunna, the beautiful, or sun beloved maiden.' The Mohave language, which is by far the most perfect and complete of any of the Indian dialects of the country, has two words of nearly the same meaning: Ari, meaning the sun, holy, good, or beautiful; and Urnia, maid, or maiden; which together means the land of the beautiful of lovely maiden. This may be the true meaning of the word Arizona. Another definition is this, Ari, from the Mohave, meaning beautiful, or good, and Zona, from the Spanish, a zone, and taken together, meaning the land of the beautiful zone. Both of these definitions seem to be well made, and both are quite significant and expressive."**

The first section of the excerpt is claimed to hail from Aztec tradition. The second from the Mohave people, and the last a blend of both.

Whatever the true origin of the name, we can certainly agree that Arizona is a beautiful place.

Photo by Diana DeLugan (c) 2012

* "The Meaning of Arizona," Arizona State Library, Archives and Public Records, obtained online on 8/14/12 at http://www.azlibrary.gov/links/AZmeaning.aspx
**Hodge, Hiram C., Arizona As It Is; or, The Coming Country, H.O. Houghton and Company, New York: 1877.
See also: Garate, Donald T., Arizona (Never Arizonac), online courtesy of the National Parks Service at http://www.nps.gov/tuma/historyculture/upload/Arizonac%20Article.pdf.

This video created by AZ Highways TV highlights the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa. Linda Cormier, Resort General Manager, provides an overview of the property's history and its connection to the historic Otero land grant. The Otero Family Hacienda or ranch house can be seen at 0:02, 0:18, 0:47, 2:36, 2:44 and 3:08. The facade of the Stables Restaurant is shown at 2:55. Although not seen in this video, the floor of the restaurant is the horse stable used by the Otero family and dates back more than two centuries.

This video was created by the Roaming Boomers when they visited the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa. At 0:18 you see the arch with the words "Otero Ranch" written prominently across the arch, as they mention how the Otero family received the land grant from the King of Spain. At 2:20, the Roaming Boomers presents some stunning images from the resort. If you have never visited the resort, these images may entice you.

This video presents a good overview of the Tubac Golf Resort and Spa's amenities. It mentions how the movie "Tin Cup" with Kevin Costner was filmed at the resort. The resort is located on the original Otero land grant in Tubac, Arizona.