History

In the history of Maricopa, a man named Perry Williams is noted three ways. An entrepreneur, he built Hotel Williams in 1884 on the...

Juneteenth. It’s an amalgamation of the words “June” and “nineteenth.” Today is a celebration of freedom, culture and resilience for many in the African...

In August of 2004, the Pinal County Narcotics Task Force, with the assistance of the marked patrol division, seized 2,927 pounds of marijuana from...

It has been three years since Brent Murphree’s career in the cotton industry took him away from his Rancho El Dorado home and local...

The COVID-19 pandemic that has plagued the nation since early 2020 has changed the way we do a lot of things. Put the staging...

The Maricopa Hotel was owned and operated by Arthur Deal (pictured with his son) from 1917 to 1931. Called Edwards Hotel in the 1890s...

  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...

To understand Arizona history, you have to learn about Italian explorer Eusebio Kino.IF YOU GO What: Maricopa Historical Society Speaker Series When: First Mondays, October-April, 5:30...

IF YOU GO What: Tales & Treasures Who: Maricopa Historical Society When: Oct. 26, 3-6 p.m. Where: Leading Edge Academy, 18700 N. Porter Road How much: Advance tickets $40/member...

The city of Maricopa has witnessed numerous changes since its incorporation in 2003. New homes bloomed, businesses formed and the population swelled. Kazi Haque, zoning...

The Pinal County Board of Supervisors unanimously approved a measure to transfer the ownership of the California Zephyr railcar to the Maricopa Historical Society. ...

Maricopa’s property tax as we now know it started in 2006 when residents voted in favor of Proposition 400, a referendum that would allow...

Photos of the same intersection in Maricopa nearly 20 years apart show the changes that have occurred since 1998. The 1998 photo, part of...

When Dorothy Shally Charles started working for the National Park Service, singing was a job requirement.IF YOU GO What: The History of Scotty's Castle, Death...

Within hours of the California Zephyr train’s Silver Horizon railcar being placed at its new home in January, there was speculation it might be...

Maricopa Historical Society received this original painting from the Cole family through the Maricopa Public Library. The painting (ca. 1972) was on display in...

Today, we celebrate the 116th anniversary of John Wayne's birth. The Hollywood star, whose real name was Marion Morrison, was a Maricopa area business...

The growth of Maricopa was dramatic between 2002 and 2006, when the city was a poster child of the housing boom. The post-recession surge...

Three members of the Buffalo Soldiers of America, led by Arizona chapter President Chaz Jackson spoke to two sessions of students at Maricopa High...

By Fran Lyons He said to himself, “No wars in the U.S.” He wanted our country to be protected and safe. He wanted freedom and he...

In the early 1950s, a man named Harry Brock moved to Maricopa to begin work as a rural mail carrier. He roomed in 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...

Maricopa’s “ghost subdivision” is coming back to life. Dormant for a decade, the Santa Rosa Crossing development with a long history and no homes...

By Raquel Hendrickson Frustrated and angry about being relegated to a footnote in the middle of one of the most tense military times in world...

Used as both a school and a Catholic church, St. Francis of Assisi Mission was built in the Ak-Chin community in 1920-21. Despite changes over...

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...

They've put on the uniforms of the United States of America's armed forces to defend our rights and our way of life. Many of them...

The Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (JROTC) program at Maricopa High School is thriving, with about 130 students, or 5% of the...

With its windows removed for a special project, the vintage Silver Horizons railcar from the California Zephyr was left vulnerable to upcoming winds, dust...

The changing skyline of Maricopa is evident in historic and modern photos of the same stretch of railroad tracks. In 1911, the depot was...