Maricopa Wells had instant messaging

During the first decade of Arizona’s territorial years, Maricopa Wells served both as the hub for a network of wagon roads and as the central point for military telegraph lines. 

In 1873 a military telegraph line connected Yuma to Maricopa Wells and ran north to Phoenix, Prescott and Tucson.  It was a great historic moment for the sparsely populated Arizona Territory when telegraph lines connected its settlements with the outside world. 

This instant communication over vast distances opened up the lines of telecommunications and closed the distance between communities and states. It not only allowed and facilitated the coordination of the military and law enforcement, but it also aided the economy of the territory through faster and more efficient communications that were so vital to the smooth operation of growing businesses. 

Telegraph services were still available not only for the railroad, but also for local residents during the 1950-60s.  

Photo courtesy of Arizona Historical Foundation

Photo:  (Left to right:  Sergeant Gearhart, telegraph operator; James A. Moore, Proprietor of Maricopa Wells; unidentified man behind telegraph pole; Bill Baxter, line rider; Charles N. Naylor, bookkeeper; Milton Ward, stage driver. Sitting on ground at left is Santiago’s wife and baby)

Editor’s note:  Maricopa factoids are provided by the Maricopa Historical Society, a branch of the Friends of the Maricopa Public Library. Most of the photos and information come from “Reflections of a Desert Town” by author and historical society chairperson Patricia Brock.