History

Maricopa’s growth since incorporation in 2003 may be perceived by some as an overnight success. When you drive up and down John Wayne Parkway, businesses...

The State Route 347/John Wayne Parkway railroad overpass was a major step forward in moving traffic through Maricopa. It came at a price, however. The...

People are moving to Maricopa every day. But do the newcomers — or the old timers, for that matter — give any thought to the...

It’s said life can turn on a dime. For Mike Otis, it changed on a $69 DNA test. Otis, a retired technical writer, did what...

Mike Ingram is not crazy or stupid. That may be obvious to observers now, but 25 years ago, many of Arizona’s most knowledgeable movers and...

In the 1950s (below), the intersection of Maricopa Road and what later became the Maricopa-Casa Grande Highway, was the business district north of the...

Alice Kulbeth Johnson-McKinney first traveled from Arkansas to Arizona in 1955 at age 15. “My dad had a heart condition, and the doctor said, ‘If...

They often say one must think small to make it big, but for Ernie Adams it’s better to think big to make it small.“I...

In this aerial photo from 1955, Maricopa High School is in the foreground. Beyond are pecan orchards and desert. Today the high school remains and...

A decades-old eucalyptus tree that long towered over the Villages at Rancho El Dorado was chopped down last week.  The iconic tree stood in the...

The massacre of the Oatman family in 1851 sent a shock wave through the Arizona Territory. Undoubtedly, the residents of Maricopa Wells (ancestor of the...

A community pool once sat just north of where the Silver Horizon Zephyr railcar now sits. The Zephyr railcar came to Maricopa in 2000...

Two highly visible economic development projects – the Heritage District and South Bridge – would blend together as envisioned by city staff. During a recent...

Union Pacific’s historic Big Boy steam locomotive No. 4014 is touring the Union Pacific system throughout 2019 to commemorate the transcontinental railroad's 150th anniversary.Tips from...

  One of Maricopa’s more memorable floods came in 1983, when Santa Cruz waters invaded most existing structures south of the tracks, including the elementary...

The black-and-white view of Maricopa High School was taken in 1998 by Gray Photographs of Phoenix. The high school, which opened in 1955 with...

Completion after years of restoration work on the city’s Silver Horizon rail car is, well, on the horizon.   InMaricopa got a sneak peek on...

EDITOR’S NOTE: This is the latest installment in a series dealing with the Oatman massacre and the experiences of the family members who survived...

After a group in Orange County, California, started a movement to remove John Wayne’s name from the airport in Santa Ana, the chatter began...

The renovation of one of Maricopa’s most iconic historical landmarks, the Silver Horizon rail car, is progressing – with a milestone coming soon. Paul Shirk,...

Rancho El Dorado is among the first subdivisions in Maricopa. Below you can see the subdivision in 2003 and 2007, courtesy of El Dorado...

In Maricopa, shops and storefronts have come and gone over the past few decades. In the black-and-white photo from the 1960s, you can see...

In 1954, the Headquarters nightclub and bar was a place for people to gather and dance to hits like “Shboom” recorded by The Crew...

EDITOR's NOTE: This post has been updated to reflect funeral arrangements.  Pat Brock, who documented the history of Maricopa in her books “Reflections of a...

Steve Chestnut, who led the Maricopa Unified School District from 2012 to 2018 as superintendent, is now living happily in Scottsdale. Chestnut left MUSD to...

Beauty. Grace. Hard charging. There is a wistful congruency between the horses Shirley Ann Hartman loves and Shirley Ann Hartman. Philip “McD” Hartman likely didn’t...

The majestic, silver car with domed roof evokes memories of the glory days of luxury train service — the 1940s, ’50s and ’60s —...

Like most Maricopa residents, I have driven past Pima Butte (“M” mountain) many, many times. But only recently did I learn that a significant event...

By Michelle ChanceHave you experienced paranormal activity in Maricopa? Tell us about it at Facebook.com/InMaricopa. Maricopa’s history is chronicled well into the mid-19th century, when...

This flooding scene near the Richfield service station on the old Maricopa Road in 1949 was captured by a photographer looking north from atop...