Arizona Territory capitals
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The capital of the Arizona Territory was established in Prescott, but was moved to
Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
, back to Prescott, and finally to
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
over 25 years as political power shifted as the territory grew, developed, and stabilized. Each move was controversial.


Background and first Prescott capital

After the Gadsden Purchase expanded the New Mexico Territory in 1853, there were several proposals for a division of the territory and the organization of a separate Arizona Territory. No proposal succeeded for a nearly decade until the
American Civil War The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states ...
when the southern part of the territory, more under the influence of southern sympathizers, attempted to secede and join the
Confederate States of America The Confederate States of America (CSA), commonly referred to as the Confederate States or the Confederacy was an unrecognized breakaway republic in the Southern United States that existed from February 8, 1861, to May 9, 1865. The Confeder ...
. The
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then partitioned the territory into the Arizona Territory in the west with New Mexico retaining the eastern part. This had the effect of splitting the area with confederate sympathy. Conflict over the location of the capital began immediately. The bill passed in March 1862 by the
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to create Arizona stipulated that the capital would be in
Tucson , "(at the) base of the black ill , nicknames = "The Old Pueblo", "Optics Valley", "America's biggest small town" , image_map = , mapsize = 260px , map_caption = Interactive map ...
, located in the southern part of the territory. The final bill, the Arizona Organic Act, passed by the
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in February 1863 and signed into law by
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on February 24, 1863 included no such language. Territorial officials, en route to Arizona in 1863 to establish its government, arrived at Fort Union in New Mexico after a ten-week journey over the Santa Fe Trail. There they discussed a location for the Arizona capital with post commander General James Carleton who argued against Tucson. Carleton felt that although Tucson was the most populous city in the territory, it suffered from strong Confederate and Mexican influences and recommended that the capital be located in the northern Union-controlled area. He suggested the geographic center of the territory where a gold rush was attracting miners to the Walker Mining District. The prior month, Carleton sent troops there to protect the miners and established Fort Whipple, near present-day Chino Valley. Governor
John N. Goodwin John Noble Goodwin (October 18, 1824 – April 29, 1887) was a United States attorney and politician who served as the first Governor of Arizona Territory. He was also a Congressman from Maine and served as Arizona Territory's delegate to the Un ...
heeded the advice and traveled to the fort, arriving on January 20, 1864. Goodwin shortly concluded that the site was too far from the mining settlements on Granite Creek,
Lynx Creek Lynx Lake, Arizona, is a reservoir located within Prescott National Forest, approximately east of Prescott, Arizona, in the Bradshaw Mountains. The lake is located at elevation and is stocked for fishing. It is one of the most popular recrea ...
, and Hassayampa Creek and too far from timber sources needed for buildings. After a month, Goodwin took a party of 84, including a military escort, to explore the area and search for a better location. He decided to move Fort Whipple south to its present location on Granite Creek and established the territorial capital two miles further south in what became Prescott. Goodwin's decision was relayed to General Carleton who agreed and ordered the fort moved. While the Governor had chosen Prescott as the site of the capital, the
1st Arizona Territorial Legislature The 1st Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which began on September 26, 1864, in Prescott, Arizona, and ran for forty-three days. The session was responsible for enacting Arizona's first ...
, which met in September 1864, had the authority to move it and considered doing so. Two other locations were proposed, La Paz, along the
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at the state's western border with
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, and a new community named Aztlan to be located at the juncture of the
Salt Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl), a chemical compound belonging to the larger class of salts; salt in the form of a natural crystalline mineral is known as rock salt or halite. Salt is present in vast quant ...
and Verde rivers in central Arizona. Efforts to move the capital to either location failed.


Tucson

The capital remained in Prescott for several years until the 4th Arizona Territorial Legislature and Governor Richard C. McCormick moved it to Tucson in 1867. The move was controversial; Prescott residents were angered and accused several members of the legislature of accepting bribes and Governor McCormick of selling his support for the bill in exchange for assistance in his election to become the
Territorial Delegate to Congress A territory is an area of land, sea, or space, particularly belonging or connected to a country, person, or animal. In international politics, a territory is usually either the total area from which a state may extract power resources or an ...
. No evidence of actual wrongdoing was ever produced and the capital was officially moved on November 1, 1867. Tucson at the time was the most developed city in the territory and it may have been felt that locating the capital there would help reduce Confederate sympathy in the southern part of the territory. The
8th Arizona Territorial Legislature The 8th Arizona Territorial Legislative Assembly was a session of the Arizona Territorial Legislature which convened from January 4, 1875, till February 12, 1875, in Tucson, Arizona Territory. Background The Indian Wars continued throughout the ...
in 1875 voted to make Tucson the "permanent" capital.


Prescott, second tenure

The capital was in Tucson for only a decade before the 9th Arizona Territorial Legislature, in 1877, in its first action and despite the prior legislature's naming Tucson the permanent capital, voted to return it to Prescott effective January 1, 1879. Prescott had considerable political strength at the time, with twelve representatives in the legislature from
Yavapai County Yavapai County is near the center of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, its population was 236,209, making it the fourth-most populous county in Arizona. The county seat is Prescott. Yavapai County comprises the Prescott, AZ M ...
, while second-place
Pima County Pima County ( ) is a county in the south central region of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,043,433, making it Arizona's second-most populous county. The county seat is Tucson, where most of the populati ...
(the southern home of Tucson) had only seven. The matter of the capital's location was still not settled and was re-visited in the 10th Arizona Territorial Legislature which met in January 1879. A bill was introduced to move the capital to
Phoenix Phoenix most often refers to: * Phoenix (mythology), a legendary bird from ancient Greek folklore * Phoenix, Arizona, a city in the United States Phoenix may also refer to: Mythology Greek mythological figures * Phoenix (son of Amyntor), a ...
in centrally-located
Maricopa County Maricopa County is in the south-central part of the U.S. state of Arizona. As of the 2020 census, the population was 4,420,568, making it the state's most populous county, and the fourth-most populous in the United States. It contains about ...
, but it died in committee. After reapportionment of the legislative districts per the 1880 census, Pima County had 16 representatives, Maricopa with 5, and Yavapai with 4. The 11th Arizona Territorial Legislature met in January 1881 and considered the issue again. Prescott, although a prosperous mining community, was far from the population centers of the territory (Phoenix and Tucson), was difficult to reach without railroad access, and had harsh winter weather. Bills were introduced to move the capital to Tucson, Phoenix, and "at the geographical center of this Territory". Tucson argued that Pima County was the ideal location because it had a large population, much mining wealth, was on the Southern Pacific Railroad, and had a favorable climate. Phoenix countered that it was prosperous agricultural area and the population midpoint of the territory. Prescott realized that for it to keep the capital, it would have to counter Tucson and Phoenix by gaining support from other areas. The new town of Tombstone in Pima County wanted to split off as
Cochise County Cochise County () is a county in the southeastern corner of the U.S. state of Arizona. It is named after the Native American chief Cochise. The population was 125,447 at the 2020 census. The county seat is Bisbee and the most populous city is ...
with Tombstone as the
county seat A county seat is an administrative center, seat of government, or capital city of a county or civil parish. The term is in use in Canada, China, Hungary, Romania, Taiwan, and the United States. The equivalent term shire town is used in the US st ...
. The Prescott and Tombstone representatives agreed to support each other as well as to jointly fight a bill that would rescind the "Bullion Tax" on mined ore that provided significant revenue to those towns. The creation of Cochise County passed with full support of Yavapai County, but the Bullion Tax did not receive full support from the Tombstone delegation, and it was repealed. A bill to move the capital to Tucson passed the lower house but failed in the upper house (then called the council) with the Prescott–Tombstone alliance held together. Proposals for the matter to be decided by a vote of the people, or to be decided by the U.S. Congress both failed to gain support. The next meeting of the legislature was the Twelfth in 1883 where one measure to move the capital to Phoenix died late in the session.


13th Legislature proposals

The Thirteenth Legislature of 1885 addressed the issue again. Prior to the legislative session, a group of Tucson businessmen had raised a $5,000 slush fund to lobby for the return of the territorial capital. Before the Tucson delegates, delayed by flooding on the Salt River, forcing a detour through
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and
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could reach Prescott, an alliance of representatives met privately and agreed to keep the capital in Prescott in exchange for support of other items. Proponents of moving the capital centered on the inaccessibility of Prescott in the winter, when it was often necessary to reach Prescott from southern Arizona via
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. Legislators who traveled that way were reimbursed thirteen cents per mile for up to a 2,200 mile round-trip. The Prescott and Arizona Central Railway was proposed that year to connect Prescott with the
Atlantic and Pacific Railroad The Atlantic and Pacific Railroad was a U.S. railroad that owned or operated two disjointed segments, one connecting St. Louis, Missouri with Tulsa, Oklahoma, and the other connecting Albuquerque, New Mexico with Needles in Southern Californi ...
that crossed northern Arizona. A subsidy for construction of $292,000 was approved by the legislature, with the backing of
Jerome Jerome (; la, Eusebius Sophronius Hieronymus; grc-gre, Εὐσέβιος Σωφρόνιος Ἱερώνυμος; – 30 September 420), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Christian priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is co ...
mining interests including Governor Frederick Tritle. The railroad would be a benefit to the mines, as well as make Prescott more easily reached. Prescott supporters hoped this would end attempts to move the capital elsewhere. Tucson and Phoenix still wanted to host the capital. This legislature was allocating funds for many major projects. There were many rumors about delegations making deals, such as Tucson supporting moving the capital to Phoenix in exchange for receiving an
insane asylum The lunatic asylum (or insane asylum) was an early precursor of the modern psychiatric hospital. The fall of the lunatic asylum and its eventual replacement by modern psychiatric hospitals explains the rise of organized, institutional psychiatry ...
. The asylum was put in Phoenix, a
normal school A normal school or normal college is an institution created to train teachers by educating them in the norms of pedagogy and curriculum. In the 19th century in the United States, instruction in normal schools was at the high school level, turni ...
(teachers college) went to Tempe (near Phoenix), the territorial prison was kept in Yuma, and a bridge was built across the Gila River in
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. While the Tucson delegation had been working to move the capital to Tucson, near the end of the session the Tucson ''
Arizona Weekly Citizen The ''Tucson Citizen'' was a daily newspaper in Tucson, Arizona. It was founded by Richard C. McCormick with John Wasson as publisher and editor on October 15, 1870, as the ''Arizona Citizen''. When it ceased printing on May 16, 2009, the daily ...
'' said Tucson should have the territory university instead of the capital. A vote to move the capital to Tucson failed with all but one of the alliance members voting "nay" as pledged. The alliance also succeeded in all their other objectives (preventing a new Sierra Bonita County to be split from Cochise County, keeping the prison in Yuma, not regulating railroad fares) except one, a bill to disfranchise Mormons. A final bill established the
University of Arizona The University of Arizona (Arizona, U of A, UArizona, or UA) is a public land-grant research university in Tucson, Arizona. Founded in 1885 by the 13th Arizona Territorial Legislature, it was the first university in the Arizona Territory. T ...
in Tucson.


14th Legislature proposals

No action was taken in the Fourteenth Legislature of 1887 by Tucson. There was concern by some prominent citizens of Tucson that another attempt could hinder development of the university. This, coupled with the new railroad connection from Prescott to Prescott Junction (now Seligman), caused both Tucson newspapers to advocate keeping the capital in Prescott. However, the Maricopa County member of the Council proposed a bill to move the capital to Phoenix. A Prescott newspaper claimed this was just a ploy to bargain for additional funding for the asylum. Some in Tucson felt Phoenix should be satisfied with the asylum and normal school. In the end, no action was taken.


Phoenix

The political climate relating to the location of the capital had changed by 1889 when the Fifteenth Legislature met. The southern counties realized that Yavapai County could be defeated if they worked together to move the capital from northern Arizona. The movement centered around Phoenix, with better climate, proximity to the major population centers of the territory, rail connection to the Southern Pacific Railroad. In addition, supporters said Phoenix had better restaurants and hotels, and the City Hall had space to temporarily house the capital functions. Phoenix sought to exchange support with other areas for such things as additional funding for the Yuma prison and Tucson university ($50,000), and the separation of northeastern Yavapai County. It also provided money, as much as $10,000, to influence the votes of southern delegates. Prescott, although vigorously opposed to relocation, had little practical means to resist. Prescott claimed that Tucson supported the move to Phoenix only because they believed Prescott would support a future move to Tucson to avenge Phoenix. Prescott also claimed that by supporting the various appropriations, Phoenix was buying votes (and the capital) with territorial debt. They argued that Prescott should keep the capital since Phoenix and Tucson had the other public institutions, and that Prescott was near the geographic center of the territory and in spite of harsh winters, lacked the desert summers of Phoenix and therefore had a better year-round climate. Tucson supported the move but had sympathy for Prescott, suggesting that the asylum be moved there in exchange. Tucson newspapers noted that the issue had been a "disturbing and corrupting element in territorial politics" and should be permanently settled. The legislature met in Prescott January 22, 1889 and passed a bill to move the capital to Phoenix in both houses within days before adjourning to resume in Phoenix on February 7. The bill, Legislative Act No. 1, was signed by Governor Zulick on January 26. There were celebrations in Phoenix as the legislators rode a special train to Los Angeles and then back to Phoenix. Prescott newspapers alleged bribery by Phoenix and complicity by Governor Zulick. Prescott was even more disappointed because the move was effective immediately instead of January 1, 1891 (the start of the next legislature) which would have been customary. Despite the charges and complaints, Phoenix became Arizona's fourth and final capital.


Legends

A popular legend about the 1889 vote to move the capital to Phoenix says that the block intending to move held a one-vote lead in the house before the vote. Delegate Charlie Warren of Bisbee engaged a lady of the evening the night before the vote. He supposedly placed his
glass eye An ocular prosthesis, artificial eye or glass eye is a type of craniofacial prosthesis that replaces an absent natural eye following an enucleation, evisceration, or orbital exenteration. The prosthesis fits over an orbital implant and under ...
in a glass of water and later mistakenly swallowed the eye when he awoke thirsty and took a drink. Refusing to appear in public without the eye, he refused to vote which would have kept the capital in Prescott. The prostitute eventually persuaded a friend with a glass eye to loan it to Warren, who then cast the tie-breaking vote to secure the capital for Phoenix. This story cannot be true as there was no one named Charlie Warren in the legislature and furthermore, there was no one-vote margin (13–9 and 9–2 in the two chambers). In another variation of the tale, attributed to Arizona state historian
Marshall Trimble Marshall Trimble (born 1939) is an American author, singer, former community college professor, and Arizona's official state historian. In addition to his position as director of Southwest studies at Scottsdale Community College, he is a popular ...
, the legislator was from Yavapai County and the prostitute swallowed the eye at the behest of the Maricopa County legislators. The delegate, whose vote was needed to keep the capital in Prescott, refused to appear causing the bill to pass and the capital to move to Phoenix.


Notes


References

{{coord, 34.05, -111.09, type:adm1st_globe:earth_region:US-AZ, display=title Arizona Territory Pre-statehood history of Arizona History of Arizona History of the American West